Diwali to bring four day break for some UAE schools

For Indian families in the UAE, Diwali could bring an extra reason to celebrate this year, with some schools planning a four-day break that gives students more time to spend with loved ones.

The Festival of Lights falls on Sunday, November 8, this year. Some Indian curriculum schools are aligning their holiday schedules with the weekend, creating an extended break for students and their families.

At GEMS Our Own Indian School in Dubai, the holiday arrangement will allow families to celebrate together without the immediate pressure of returning to classes, said principal and chief executive Lalitha Suresh.

“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.

Suresh said the school plans its academic calendar to accommodate important festivals while ensuring that the prescribed number of instructional days is maintained.

With the holiday adjoining the weekend, families can enjoy a four-day break, offering students time to reconnect with relatives, take part in traditions and create lasting festive memories.

Abu Dhabi school plans extended festive break

In Abu Dhabi, Shining Star International School is also planning a four-day break, incorporating Diwali holidays into its calendar while meeting the emirate’s teaching-day requirements.

Principal Abhilasha Singh said schools must balance cultural celebrations with academic obligations.

“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,” she said.

Singh added that the school follows the prescribed 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.”

For families, the longer break offers more flexibility to organise gatherings, prepare traditional festive meals and involve children in celebrations without the rush of returning to school the next day.

Why some schools cannot extend Diwali holidays

The extended break will not be available to all Indian curriculum students across the UAE. Some schools must fit festival holidays into tighter academic schedules shaped by the school-week structure and curriculum requirements.

At Sharjah Indian School, the current four-day working week leaves less room to grant additional holidays for festivals such as Diwali and Onam, a school representative said.

“We don’t have separate holidays for Diwali in Sharjah because schools now have three days off each week, leaving us with four working days,” the representative said.

The school previously had additional days that could be used for festivals. However, the reduced working week and the demands of the CBSE curriculum have made it harder to allocate extra days off.

“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,” the representative said.

The arrangement, the representative added, was discussed with school principals at the outset and agreed upon collectively.

While some schools are making room for an extended Diwali celebration, others are prioritising the required teaching days. For families, the difference means that festive plans will depend on the holiday calendar followed by their children’s school.