The new academic year is set to begin on 26 August, and in preparation, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has issued a circular to all federal ministries and entities in the UAE regarding the 'Back to School' policy for 2024 - 2025. This policy permits parents employed in the federal government to accompany their children to schools and nurseries at the start of the new academic year.
The circular aims to support federal government employees by providing flexibility in the workplace, following current directives and legislation, while ensuring that workflow and service delivery are not disrupted. This flexibility depends on the internal systems of each federal entity and requires approval from the employee’s direct manager.
What Does The Back To School Policy Include
The policy grants federal government employees with school-aged children the flexibility to drop off and pick up their children on the first day of school. Employees can choose either a late start in the morning or an early departure, with a maximum of three hours combined or split between morning and evening.
For those with children in nurseries and kindergartens, the policy allows for either a late arrival in the morning or an early departure during the first week of school. This flexibility is limited to a maximum of three hours per day, with adjustments made based on the different start dates for schools as per their curricula.
Additionally, the policy permits flexible working hours for other academic-related occasions, provided it does not disrupt the entity’s operations or conflict with the Federal Government Human Resources Law and its executive regulations. Employees may also be granted up to three hours to attend parent-teacher meetings, graduation ceremonies, and other events for their children.