How Dubai Schools Prepare To Meet KHDA's Stricter Teacher Staffing Rules

New guidelines by Dubai's education authority are prompting Dubai private schools to revamp how they recruit, monitor, and manage teaching staff.

On Wednesday, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) released the Technical Guide for Appointing Teaching Staff in Private Schools in Dubai and the Staff Deregistration Technical Guide.

Together, these stricter requirements related to teachers' qualifications , professional experience, and behaviour, alongside new regulations on notice periods and resignations.

Education leaders say Dubai's updated staffing guidelines will help raise standards across the sector while balancing the interests of institutions, teachers, and students.

Stacey Cartwright, Head of HR, Executive Operations, Taaleem, said,“Our recruitment process is already aligned with international best practice, including rigorous qualification checks, background vetting, and safeguarding clearances. We will now integrate the KHDA Appointment Notice requirements directly into our hiring workflow to ensure 100% compliance for all new appointments. This includes continuing full verification of academic and professional qualifications, conduct history, and the timely submission of official notifications before appointment.

The group also highlighted that their current practices already meet or exceed the new requirements, but the framework provides a clearer structure for all schools in Dubai.

Taaleem schools are advancing their compliance tracking systems to ensure consistency across every institution, thereby making the process fully transparent.

“All new staff undertake induction training in safeguarding, inclusion, UAE values and ethics, and this is followed by annual refresher sessions as part of our professional development framework. Each school has a trained safeguarding lead who monitors compliance and risk. If a concern is raised, they would be flagged through our internal reporting systems and escalated to the KHDA if necessary, including cases that require deregistration,” added Cartwright.

Punit MK Vasu, CEO of The Indian High Group of Schools, also welcomed the move.“The new directives from the KHDA on teacher recruitment, resignations, and deregistration are both timely and essential to regulate an industry as critical and complex as education. This new framework deserves genuine applause as it strikes a thoughtful balance between the interests of institutions and those of individual teachers.”

Building on this, he noted that,“by clearly defining the minimum qualifications required for each teaching position, Dubai schools can now ensure that students receive learning support only from the most competent and committed practitioners worldwide.”

“Overall, this is a highly progressive step that secures, first and foremost, the interests of the child, while also setting a clear ethical code for a profession that relies not only on professional competence but also on the human virtues of loyalty, devotion, and responsibility,” added Vasu.

By introducing clear benchmarks for qualifications and accountability, KHDA aims to ensure students benefit from highly trained and professional educators, while schools have a stronger framework to regulate recruitment and staff movement.

Some of the new rules -- including Appointment Notices, hiring checks, and mandatory exit surveys -- are in the process of being integrated into school systems, with leaders ensuring complete compliance by 2028.

A spokesperson from GEMS Education said,“We always welcome KHDA guidance and directives designed to strengthen the education sector in Dubai, and we are working closely with the regulator and our schools and internal departments to review these new rules and ensure compliance. We will be able to share further details on how we will be integrating the new directives across our operations once we have had time to fully assess the implications.”

Clarity and stability

Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal of Credence High School, highlighted how the guidelines provide both clarity and stability.

“We view the new KHDA guidelines as a progressive step forward, and we are already aligning our systems and processes to ensure full compliance, while keeping student wellbeing and teacher support at the heart of implementation. While schools naturally face challenges in balancing compliance, recruitment, and continuity, these guidelines provide much-needed clarity and structure, helping streamline processes and create greater stability.”

She added,“With teachers given until 2028 to meet the new standards, we are committed to structured professional development and upskilling initiatives so our teachers feel empowered and supported. Safeguarding has always been a priority in our school, and we already have robust internal systems in place, with the KHDA framework adding further accountability and consistency. Overall, these reforms position Dubai as a leader in setting high professional standards, making it an even more attractive destination for committed international educators.”

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