A teacher reads an Arabic storybook to primary school children in a classroom in the UAE. Photo: X
Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates’s Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has announced flexible work hours for federal government employees as part of its Back to School policy for the 2025/26 academic year.
In a circular posted on X, the authority confirmed that staff will be granted up to three hours of flexibility in arrival and departure on the first day of school. This initiative is designed to allow parents to accompany their children to and from school or home.
Schoolchildren across the country are set to return to classrooms on Monday, August 25, and government employees have been granted special leave in line with systems followed by each federal entity, subject to the approval of their direct manager.
The directive also extends additional support to parents with children enrolled in nurseries and kindergartens. Such employees will be eligible for flexible hours throughout the first week of school, with a daily limit of three hours.
Furthermore, FAHR clarified that employees may take time off during the academic year to attend parent-teacher meetings, graduation ceremonies and other school-related activities.
The authority emphasised that flexible attendance and departure must comply with existing workplace systems and will require prior approval from the employee’s line manager.
This post was last modified on August 20, 2025 6:43 pm