Qatar has announced a new academic calendar with new long weekends, additional Ramadan holidays and well-being measures for students.
Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) has approved a revised academic calendar covering three school years from 2025 to 2028, introducing a series of changes designed to better align with national, cultural, and religious priorities.
The new calendar is applicable to both public and private schools and was developed following a comprehensive review, including recommendations from the Shura Council, and aims to unify the academic rhythm across the country while enhancing student well-being and family planning.
Qatar holidays and breaks
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) approved the new academic calendar for schools in Qatar for the academic years 2025–2026, 2026–2027, and 2027–2028.
The calendar takes into account various educational, cultural, and national considerations, in line with the Ministry’s vision to develop a flexible and inclusive educational system.
The Ministry explained that the calendar was adopted following a comprehensive review of influencing factors, including recommendations from the Shura Council regarding alignment between public and private school holidays.
As a result, the mid-year break has been fixed in the last third of December to unify the academic rhythm across the country and provide families with better planning and organisation opportunities.
The calendar also includes a revision of the first semester final exams, which will now be held before Qatar National Day.
This change responds to proposals from the Ministry of Culture and aims to enable students to actively participate in national events that promote identity and belonging.
To support students’ religious and psychological well-being, the Ministry ensured that mid-second-semester exams will not coincide with the holy month of Ramadan.
This allows students to focus on worship and engage in related social and cultural activities during the sacred month.
In recognition of the religious and social significance of Ramadan, the new academic calendar includes two additional days off for students and school staff during the holy month in the academic years 2025–2026 and 2027–2028, in addition to the official holiday.
The calendar also introduces a “Test Day, Rest Day” system, applied exclusively to second-semester exams for high school certificate students.
This system provides students with ample time to review and regain focus between exams, supporting their mental and emotional readiness to perform at their best during this critical academic stage.
Additionally, a long weekend break has been scheduled after the mid-second-semester exams each year to promote student well-being and educational balance.
The calendar was designed to ensure a fair distribution between the two semesters while covering all curriculum content within the approved number of school days, ensuring a highly efficient educational process.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education emphasised that this calendar reflects its ongoing efforts to develop educational policies that serve the interests of students, teachers, and parents.
It also enhances the effectiveness of Qatar’s educational system, in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030, which prioritises human capital development as a cornerstone for building a knowledge-based society.
Key changes in Qatar’s 2025–2028 academic calendar explained
| Policy change | Details |
| Mid-year break | Fixed in the last third of December for all schools (public and private) to unify scheduling. |
| First semester exams | Held before Qatar National Day (Dec 18) to allow student participation in national events. |
| Ramadan exam adjustment | No mid-second-semester exams during Ramadan to support religious and cultural practices. |
| Extra Ramadan days off | Two additional days off during Ramadan for students and staff in 2025–26 and 2027–28. |
| “Test Day, Rest Day” system | Applied to second-semester exams for high school certificate students to enhance performance. |
| Post-exam long weekend | Scheduled after mid-second-semester exams to support student well-being and recovery. |
| Balanced semester distribution | Calendar ensures fair academic distribution while covering all curriculum content efficiently. |