New Dubai Guidelines to Reshape Teacher Hiring in Private Schools

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has introduced two new technical guides that reshape how private schools hire, manage, and, when necessary, deregister teachers. The measures aim to raise standards of quality, accountability, and transparency across the sector, and are closely tied to the emirate’s Education 33 (E33) Strategy, which places student wellbeing and learning outcomes at its core.

The first guide focuses on teacher appointments, setting clear qualification and experience requirements for every new hire—including those teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies. While newcomers must meet the criteria immediately, current teachers have several years to adapt, with deadlines stretching to September 2028, or April 2029 for schools on a different academic calendar.

Alongside these measures, all educators must now undergo induction training on safeguarding, inclusion, UAE values, and professional ethics, and sign a newly introduced Code of Conduct.

The second guide addresses the other end of the staffing cycle: deregistration. It establishes a clear process for barring teachers who commit serious misconduct, such as criminal offences, breaches of child protection, or gross professional negligence. The policy also leaves room for action against less clear-cut behaviour—like inappropriate use of social media, repeated dishonesty, or culturally insensitive remarks—when these issues are deemed persistent or severe. Deregistered teachers are prohibited from working in any KHDA-regulated institution, from nurseries to universities.

To support schools in the transition, the authority will hold briefing sessions for principals, HR teams, and governing boards, while full details are already available on the KHDA website.