Short Fridays are expected to become even shorter for students across the UAE from January 2026, following the announcement of a standardised nationwide Friday prayer schedule. The General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat confirmed that Friday sermons and prayers will take place at 12.45pm starting 2 January 2026. The decision aims to create consistent timings for worshippers across the country. School principals said most institutions will need to modify their Friday routines to ensure Muslim students can reach home in time for prayers.
Schools are currently awaiting formal instructions from educational authorities to finalise their updated schedules.
KHDA Begins Survey
School leaders reported that the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai has launched a survey to understand how the new prayer timing may affect teaching hours and school operations.
Lyudmyla Klykova, principal of Hampton Heights International School in Al Twar, said:
“KHDA is collecting feedback through a survey to gauge the impact on school timings, teaching hours, and operational adjustments.”
Klykova added that her school is examining several options to adjust the timetable.
She said:
“The revised Friday prayer time will require adjustments to our schedule for primary and lower secondary. This may involve modifying break times or lesson durations.”
“We are currently reviewing options with the senior leadership team to ensure smooth implementation while maintaining instructional quality.”
Klykova noted that dismissal timings may change depending on the adjustments made. She said,
“No final decision has been made yet. Once finalised, parents will receive a confirmed update. Our goal is minimal disruption to learning,”
Regional Timing Challenges
Qurat Ul Ain, principal of International Indian School in Ajman, highlighted the complexity schools face across emirates.
She said,
“Schools will have to change their Friday working hours and we are awaiting clarity and instructions from the Ministry of Education.”
She explained that differing existing prayer times already create logistical challenges.
“In Ajman, prayer time is at 1.15pm while it is at 12.15pm in Sharjah. For schools in Ajman, it has been a challenge to disperse students from Sharjah early. So, we allow Sharjah buses to leave first on Fridays.”
City and Rural Differences
Fareesa Azeem, principal of Al Marfa International Private School in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region, said the new 12.45pm prayer time will have a definite impact on school hours.
Azeem said,
“A lot depends upon student transport and ensuring they reach home before prayers. Currently, we disperse at 12 o’clock as there is no big traffic issues on outskirts. With the new prayer timing at 12.45pm, we would need to leave around 11.45am. Schools in Abu Dhabi city will have to close even earlier due to the traffic challenges. We are awaiting official guidance from ADEK. A circular from ADEK would provide clarity for all schools.”
ADEK’s Earlier Survey
Mohammad Gaffar from Al Ain Juniors Schools in Al Ain said his school already disperses primary and high school students at 10.40am due to existing constraints, while kindergarten students leave at 12 noon.
He hopes the impact of the new prayer timing will be minimal but agreed that official guidelines will determine the final outcome.
He said,
“We had raised our concerns with ADEK earlier seeking guidelines to have meaningful learning on Fridays.”
Gaffar added that ADEK had already conducted a survey on Friday timings some months ago.
“I think more inputs will be taken in view of the new announcement about the prayer time change.”
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