ABU DHABI: The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has confirmed full readiness for the 2024-2025 academic year, with schools set to reopen on 26th August 2024. This follows thorough preparation by MoE teams to ensure a smooth start to the year.

During a press briefing, Minister of Education Sarah Al Amiri highlighted proactive measures taken to improve the school environment, upskill educators, and enhance infrastructure and support services. The MoE also introduced updates to student assessment policies across all levels, focusing on continuous assessment rather than just end-of-term exams.

For students in Cycles 2 and 3, the assessment weightings are now 35% for the first term, 30% for the second, and 35% for the third, ensuring a balanced evaluation process. Additionally, the Ministry replaced central exams in the second term with project-based assessments to better measure skills and practical knowledge.

The MoE launched the ‘From Student to Leader’ campaign to engage the community in supporting students’ growth into future leaders. A special committee oversaw school readiness, ensuring safety and quality standards, and new schools were opened while others underwent maintenance.

Maintenance for over 5,000 school buses was completed to meet safety standards, and transportation routes were optimized for students’ comfort. The Ministry also focused on student wellbeing, conducting the largest field survey in the sector and designing extracurricular programmes to boost cognitive, cultural, and social skills.

Also read: NASA awards $1.25M to three teams in Deep Space Food Challenge finale

The successful Freejna School project will expand to more schools, with additional activities and partnerships to further develop students’ talents.