August 2026: Life Skills, Strong Exam Results, and School Expansion Across the Middle East

This month's Middle East and North Africa education roundup spans new life-skills initiatives in Dubai, hands-on summer learning programmes in Qatar and Oman, strong examination outcomes for UAE pupils, and continued growth in British curriculum provision across the region. Together, the stories point to school systems investing as much in practical, real-world skills as in academic results. 

The National: Dubai to teach key life skills under new education action plan

The emirate has launched its Skills for Life initiative, directed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, to support pupils' mental well-being, financial literacy and digital skills from early childhood through to adulthood. Led by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the programme will roll out during the 2026-27 academic year and covers areas including healthy lifestyles and nutrition, social and relationship skills, and mental resilience, alongside academic learning. It forms part of Dubai's wider Education Strategy 2033, which also includes career guidance and future-skills initiatives. 

The Peninsula: Qatar's Education Ministry launches Summer Student Activity Centres

Running from July 5 to August 3 under the slogan "Invest in Their Summer with Creativity," the programme offers pupils aged 6 to 18 a safe and stimulating environment during the school break, with interactive activities designed to build creative and cognitive skills. The initiative spans five centres across Qatar, including a dedicated centre for pupils with special needs, and forms part of the ministry's broader strategy to support holistic student development in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. 

Times of Oman: DroneX summer programme trains Omani pupils in robotics

Oman's Civil Aviation Authority, in partnership with WingTech Company, has launched a summer technology programme for pupils in Grades 9 to 11, combining classroom theory with hands-on practice in operational flight, technical maintenance, and the assembly and piloting of first-person-view drones. The programme is intended to build pupils' technical skills and broaden their awareness of careers in aviation and advanced technology, in support of Oman Vision 2040's goal of a knowledge-based economy. 

Gulf News: UAE students beat global averages in IB results despite exam cancellations

Pupils across several UAE school groups posted strong International Baccalaureate Diploma results this year, even after exams were cancelled following regional disruption and replaced with the IB's Non-Exam Contingency Measure. Innoventures Education's schools recorded a 100 per cent pass rate and an average score of 35.8, while GEMS Education's pass rate rose to 99 per cent with an average score of 35, both above last year's global averages. Four students achieved the maximum 45 points, a result reached by fewer than 0.1 per cent of IB candidates worldwide. 

Financial Times: A British state school opens overseas branches for the first time

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, a selective state grammar with a 450-year history, will open its first international campus in Dubai Sports City this August, in partnership with GEDU Global Education, with further campuses planned in India. The move marks the first time an English state school has opened fee-paying affiliates abroad, and the Dubai campus will follow the National Curriculum for England, launching with provision from Nursery through Year 8 ahead of a phased expansion into the Sixth Form. 

WhichSchoolAdvisor: WhichSchoolAdvisor launches its first UAE AP results round-up

The parent guidance site is extending its long-running examination coverage to Advanced Placement results for the first time, giving families following the American curriculum a clearer benchmark alongside existing British and IB coverage. Universal American School reported that 76 per cent of its AP examinations scored 3 or above, while GEMS Education's four American curriculum schools completed over 1,750 AP exams, with 81 per cent achieving a score of 3 or above, both improvements on last year.