The government announced an early spring break for students, with schools set to remain closed from March 9 to March 25.
The decision was jointly announced by the UAE Ministry of Education and the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
According to the announcement, the break will apply to all public and private schools as well as universities across the country.
The holiday will also cover academic and administrative staff, while regular classes and official working hours will resume after the break.
Previous schedule
Earlier, the official academic calendar for the 2025–2026 academic year had scheduled the spring break from March 16 to March 29 under the unified school calendar introduced in 2025. The last day of classes before the originally planned break was March 13.
However, authorities decided to advance the holidays, allowing students to finish their online classes this week and begin the spring break earlier than planned.
Will govt extend Eid ul Fitr 2026 holiday across country?
Eid ul Fitr may fall on March 21, depending on the moon sighting. Based on this date, the Ministry of Public Administration has already fixed a five-day holiday. The holiday is scheduled from March 19 to March 23.
Under this plan, March 21 will be the general holiday for Eid ul Fitr. The government has also declared March 19 and 20, before Eid, and March 22 and 23, after Eid, as holidays by executive order, according to th reports.
A ministry source told Prothom Alo, “The government may extend the holiday in consideration of public convenience. The cabinet will take this decision. Therefore, we cannot say anything final at this stage.”
Shawwal moon sighting in Pakistan
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a forecast for the Shawwal moon sighting for Eid ul Fitr 2026.
The department said there is no possibility of seeing the Shawwal moon on March 19. The moon of Shawwal 1447 AH will be born at 6:23 AM on March 19.
At sunset, the moon’s age at most meteorological stations will be 12 to 13 hours. This is not suitable for sighting.
The final decision will be made by Pakistan’s Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. They will announce the date after sighting the moon.
Eid ul Fitr 2026 in Pakistan
Eid ul Fitr 1st Shawwal 1447 AH is expected to be observed from March 21 to March 23. This depends on the official moon sighting.
The official holidays for Eid 2026 in Pakistan will be confirmed closer to the date.
