Four-day Diwali weekend for some Indian-curriculum schools in UAE

Some Indian-curriculum schools in the UAE are planning an extended break around Diwali, which falls on Sunday, 8 November this year. The holiday, when aligned with the weekend, could give students and families a four-day break.

Extended break for some schools

At GEMS Our Own Indian School in Dubai, the principal and chief executive, Lalitha Suresh, said the holiday adjoining the weekend would allow families to celebrate together. “Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is a cherished celebration that brings families and communities together in a spirit of joy, hope, and togetherness,” she said. The school plans its academic calendar to accommodate the festival while ensuring that the required instructional days are maintained. “This year, with the holiday adjoining the weekend, our families can enjoy a welcome four-day break—a wonderful opportunity to pause, reconnect, and create lasting memories with loved ones,” Suresh added.

In Abu Dhabi, Shining Star International School is also planning a four-day break. The school incorporates Diwali holidays into its calendar in line with the emirate’s teaching-day requirements. Principal Abhilasha Singh said schools must maintain the prescribed number of instructional days while making room for important cultural occasions. “ADEK allows a maximum of 196 teaching days, with a minimum requirement of 191. We meet this requirement and are permitted to allocate two days for Diwali and one for another autumn festival. We have also used one day for a parent-teacher meeting,” Singh said. She added that the school follows the required approval process before announcing holidays to families. “We apply for these exceptions through ADEK’s activity calendar. Once approval is granted, we announce the holidays in our school calendar.”

Planning and approval process

For parents, the extended break offers an opportunity to plan family gatherings, prepare traditional festive meals and help children participate in celebrations without the immediate pressure of returning to school.

Limitations in Sharjah

However, not all Indian-curriculum schools in the UAE will give additional days off for Diwali. At Sharjah Indian School, the academic calendar is planned around the emirate’s school-week structure, with festival holidays accommodated within the available teaching days. A school official explained that they do not have separate holidays for Diwali because schools now have three days off each week, leaving only four working days. “Earlier, we had a buffer of four days off in a year that we could use for holidays such as Onam or Diwali. But now, with four working days in a week and CBSE’s extensive curriculum, we are no longer in a position to take additional days off. This arrangement was discussed with school principals at the outset, and we all agreed to it,” the official said.