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Dubai's education sector is about to look a little different from inside the room where decisions get made. KHDA has confirmed it will launch two new advisory councils, the Dubai Parents Council and the Dubai Educators Council, at the start of the 2026-27 academic year. Each will bring 15 members into formal, structured dialogue with the regulator on the policies that shape private schools and early childhood centres across the emirate.

For families, the headline is simple: parents and teachers now have a defined, recognised channel to contribute to how Dubai's education system evolves, alongside the students themselves.

What is changing

KHDA already runs the Dubai Students Council, launched in the 2025-26 academic year. The council brings together 16 students from Grades 9 to 12 across different curricula and backgrounds, and has held 16 internal meetings, set up an interactive feedback platform and a dedicated newsletter to strengthen communication between students and policymakers.

The new step extends that participation model in two directions. The Dubai Parents Council and the Dubai Educators Council will operate on the same principle: a small, focused group of representatives, drawn through a transparent selection process, working directly with KHDA on policy development.

Each council will have 15 members, and according to KHDA the response to the call for applications has been strong. The authority received 152 applications for the Parents Council and 160 for the Educators Council, with submissions from Emirati parents and teachers among them.

How the councils will work

Both councils are designed as structured platforms for dialogue between schools, families and the regulator. They will work closely with KHDA and with schools on issues including student wellbeing, inclusion, teaching quality and school-community engagement, with the underlying aim of building stronger trust between families, educators and regulators, while improving the everyday learning experience for Dubai's students.

Operationally, the membership rules are straightforward. Roles on the councils are voluntary and unpaid, with appointments lasting one year. Members may apply for a second term, subject to performance and eligibility, which keeps the door open for continuity while ensuring fresh perspectives can come into the system each year.

Why KHDA is doing this now

The move sits squarely within Dubai's Education 33 Strategy, the emirate's long-term plan to build a more inclusive, future-focused education system. The councils support the strategy's underlying premise that education improves when students, parents and teachers are actively engaged in shaping it.

Dr Amna Almaazmi, CEO of the Growth and Human Development Sector at KHDA, said the Education 33 Strategy is grounded in the belief that students thrive when educators and parents are actively engaged in their learning journey. By empowering those closest to learners to share their perspectives and contribute to decision-making, the system becomes more connected, collaborative and future-focused. The creation of the two new councils, she said, reflects KHDA's commitment to ensuring that parents and educators are not only valued partners in every learner's journey but also active contributors to the policies, programmes and initiatives that shape education in Dubai.

She added that the response to the Dubai Students Council has demonstrated the value of creating meaningful opportunities for participation. Students have shown that their insights can help drive positive change, and parents and educators are expected to bring equally valuable perspectives through the new councils. Together, she said, the three platforms will strengthen the wider education ecosystem and help achieve better outcomes for learners across Dubai.

What this means for families

For Dubai parents, the practical implications fall into three buckets.

The first is representation. Until now, parent input into KHDA-level policy has tended to flow through informal channels: school parent committees, surveys, individual feedback to schools and occasional consultations. The formal Parents Council changes that, putting a defined group of 15 parents in regular, structured dialogue with the regulator. Even families not directly represented on the council benefit, because the people in the room will be advocating on issues like fees, wellbeing, inclusion and the everyday quality of school life.

The second is the signal to schools. Schools across Dubai already know they will be operating under a renewed KHDA inspection model in 2026-27, with two visit types and no more than 24 hours' notice. The arrival of formal Parents and Educators Councils alongside that reinforces a wider pattern: parents and teachers are being treated less as recipients of decisions and more as partners in them. Schools that already invest in strong parent and teacher engagement will be well aligned with the direction of travel.

The third is the longer-term shift in tone. Across recent KHDA announcements, from the 2026-27 fee freeze to the new inspection model and now the expanded councils, the emirate's regulator is consistently positioning itself as collaborative rather than purely directive. For families considering school choices for the coming year, this matters: the system being built around your child's education is one where parent voice is increasingly built in.

What parents should keep in mind

Even with formal councils in place, the most consistent voice in your child's education will still be the one you bring directly to the school. Strong day-to-day engagement with the class teacher, year leader and school leadership remains the most powerful tool any parent has for shaping their child's experience. The councils are a useful new layer at the policy level, not a substitute for being engaged at the school level.

For parents particularly invested in education policy, the application processes for future council intakes will be worth tracking. Each appointment lasts one year, which means the next round of selections will come around quickly. Anyone who applied this year but was not selected has a clear, repeatable route to try again, and parents not yet on the radar of the council have a clear timeline to prepare for the next opening.

For the wider sector, the message is consistent with the rest of Dubai's recent education moves: a system being actively reshaped around stability for families, accountability for schools, and a focus on the everyday experience inside classrooms. The introduction of the Dubai Parents Council and Dubai Educators Council is a meaningful, concrete step in that direction, and the volume of applications, more than 300 in total across the two councils, suggests Dubai's education community is ready for it.

Sources:

Khaleej Times, "KHDA expands Dubai education councils to include parents, educators" by Nandini Sircar (June 8, 2026). https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/education/khda-expands-dubai-education-councils-include-parents-educators 

Gulf News, "Dubai expands education councils to include parents and teachers" by Balaram Menon (June 8, 2026). https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/dubai-expands-education-councils-to-include-parents-and-teachers-1.500567253