Not every child returns to school from the same starting line, especially after a disrupted Term 3. GEMS Education's Lisa Crausby OBE on the academic gap parents worry about, why teachers still outrank the tech, and starting the year with a reset rather than a race.

A new school year usually puts the focus on children: new classrooms, new routines and a fairly frantic return to early mornings. But behind every child settling into school is an educator doing far more than delivering a lesson. That was the message from Aisha Miran, Director General of Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority, as more than 8,000 educators joined a series of virtual town halls ahead of the 2026–27 academic year. Miran described teachers as mentors, caregivers, role models and partners to parents, and pointed to the launch of the Dubai Educators Council as a way of giving them a direct voice in how education develops. With teacher numbers across Dubai's private schools up 17.5% in three years, here is why it matters for families.