‘A positive step’: School principals, parents hail new Abu Dhabi policy of teaching Arabic in nurseries

From recruiting Emirati teachers to lead Arabic teaching sessions to incorporating interactive storytelling and fun learning activities, schools are preparing to support a new policy that mandates all private schools to teach Arabic in their kindergartens and nurseries.

Announced on Monday by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), the new policy mandates that kindergartens in private and educational partnership schools allocate 240 minutes (four hours) per week for Arabic instruction. It applies to all early childhood education levels, from nursery (pre-KG) to second kindergarten (KG2). The weekly Arabic instruction time is set to increase to 300 minutes (five hours) starting in the 2026–2027 academic year.

While schools say they have already begun preparing and training staff to meet this requirement, parents believe the measure will help children develop Arabic communication skills from an early age.

Several school principals reported that they had already introduced Arabic phonics and letter recognition in kindergarten in previous years, anticipating the challenges students often face when encountering Arabic for the first time in Grade 1. Others praised the initiative as a positive step towards multilingual development, aligning with the UAE’s cultural identity.

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According to Adek, the policy aims to ensure that every child, whether a native Arabic speaker or a beginner in learning the language, receives consistent, high-quality instruction during this critical stage of language development.

Despite the challenges schools may face in teaching non-native speakers, several have already planned to implement the policy in the upcoming academic year.

Schools welcome the initiative

K George Mathew, Principal/CEO, GEMS United Indian School – Abu Dhabi,  welcomed the decision, praising its role in enhancing multilingual education and cultural appreciation among young learners.

“As an Indian curriculum institution with a strong trilingual education policy (Hindi/ Malayalam, English, French), we warmly welcome the decision to introduce Arabic in kindergarten,” he said.

Mathew emphasised that early language exposure promotes cognitive flexibility, cultural understanding, and social development. “To ensure a seamless and engaging integration of Arabic, we propose a learning-by-play approach, using interactive storytelling, songs, movement activities, and immersive play. These methods align perfectly with the developmental needs of kindergarten students, creating a fun and natural learning experience.”

“Our faculty members look forward to designing Arabic learning modules that complement our existing curriculum, turning language learning into an adventure rather than an academic task. We are committed to working closely with educational authorities to implement best practices and ensure children build a solid foundation in Arabic that sparks curiosity and enthusiasm,” he added.

Parents support early Arabic education

Parents have also expressed enthusiasm and a willingness to support their children’s Arabic learning at a young age.

Among them is Rawda Musabah who said the decision is important and that Arabic should be the foundation at the start of a child’s education, noting that English can be learned more easily later. “Today, we see a focus on English, which makes children always speak it and prefer it over Arabic,” she said.

She added, “It’s okay, and there won’t be any difficulties if it’s during school hours. However, if it’s added as extra time, it could be tiring for students, as their day is already long.”

Fatima Abdullah, an Emirati parent, described the decision as a good one that would strengthen children’s command of the Arabic language and teach them proper usage from the start.

“Our children need to learn Arabic from a young age. If they don’t learn it now, it will be difficult to learn it when they grow up,” she said.

She added that teaching Arabic to non-native speakers is just as important, given that they are living in an Arab country.

 “I will transfer my son, who is currently in preschool, to a different school next academic year because I want him to learn Arabic intensively. In his current school, he studies Arabic only twice a week, which is not enough. Therefore, I will move him to another school where he will learn Arabic daily,” she shared.