The UAE Cabinet has approved an artificial intelligence curriculum across all public and private schools, along with training for 22,000 teachers.
The UAE Cabinet has approved a set of measures giving artificial intelligence a more prominent role across government and the country’s education sector. Among the key decisions was the approval of an AI curriculum to be implemented across all public and private schools in the country, aimed at preparing students for an increasingly AI-driven future.
The decisions were announced on Wednesday, September 2, following a Cabinet meeting chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The meeting, held at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, marked the first Cabinet session of the new government season.
Alongside the curriculum, the Cabinet reviewed a programme to train around 22,000 teachers and educators to use AI in their work. The training is designed to support teaching, assessment, curriculum analysis, and lesson planning, while helping educators foster innovation among students. Together, the two measures place education at the center of the country’s wider push to integrate AI into daily life.
Sheikh Mohammed described the broader effort as a major transformation of government services. He said the UAE had launched its largest transformation project for government services involving agentic AI, calling it a strategic, national, and forward-looking project intended to deliver what he described as a step change in government. He also spoke of the importance of building on the trust the UAE has developed over years through its systems and policies.
UAE AI Curriculum for Schools: What Students Will Learn
The approved AI curriculum will introduce students to the technical foundations of artificial intelligence, covering data, algorithms, applications, and risks. It also aims to build awareness of the ethical use of the technology, helping students understand both its benefits and its potential challenges.
According to the Cabinet, a pilot programme and evaluation of the AI curriculum had already produced positive results in public schools. That earlier phase informed the decision to extend the curriculum across all public and private institutions in the country. A mechanism was also approved to make the curriculum and its components available to educational entities.
The rollout builds on the UAE’s earlier move to make AI a subject in government schools. The country has positioned itself as an early adopter of AI education, and the latest decision widens that ambition to include private schools as well. Officials have said the aim is to equip future generations with the skills and knowledge needed for the years ahead, while ensuring students learn to use the technology responsibly.
The government also indicated that it plans to share the UAE’s experience in AI education internationally, reflecting the country’s intention to position itself as a reference point in the field.
Training 22,000 Teachers to Use AI in the Classroom
The success of any classroom curriculum depends heavily on the educators delivering it, and the Cabinet’s decision gave clear attention to that point. The programme to train 22,000 teachers and educators is intended to ensure that those in the classroom are equipped to use AI effectively and confidently.
The training covers a range of practical applications. Teachers will learn to use AI to support teaching and student assessment, to analyze curricula, and to plan lessons. The programme also emphasizes fostering innovation among students, encouraging educators to help young people engage with the technology in creative and productive ways.
By preparing a large body of teachers in parallel with the curriculum rollout, the UAE is aiming to align the two sides of the initiative so that the introduction of AI in schools is supported by a workforce ready to teach it.
UAE’s Wider Agentic AI Push Across Government
The education measures form part of a broader transformation announced at the same Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet approved the launch of a Cabinet AI Advisor system, which uses 32 specialized AI advisors to analyze policies, legislation, strategies, and government systems. The system is designed to assess impact, review global best practice, and support ministers in following up on decisions and their implementation around the clock.
The same session also approved a resolution regulating autonomous vehicles, including controls for inspecting, registering, and licensing such vehicles, along with procedures for testing new vehicle technologies. Officials noted that federal entities completed more than 308 million digital transactions over the past year, underlining the scale of the country’s digital government operations.
Taken together, the decisions reflect the UAE’s continued focus on placing artificial intelligence at the heart of both public services and education. With the AI curriculum set to reach classrooms across the country and thousands of teachers preparing to deliver it, the initiative marks a significant step in the country’s long-term approach to preparing its students and its institutions for a future shaped by the technology.
