Hey Raha blog · Dubai school life

The UAE National Anthem at school: a guide for parents new to Dubai

By Marie Adly · 22 October 2026

If your child has just started at a Dubai school, they'll hear the UAE National Anthem, Ishy Bilady, every school day. Since September 2026, KHDA's standards say every private school and nursery in Dubai must play it daily, gather each child for an assembly facing the UAE flag at least once a week, and play it at the start of every school event. When it plays, children stand still and face the flag, and parents and visitors on school grounds stand quietly and give it their full attention. If you're at the gate when it starts: stop, stand still, listen. It lasts about a minute, and it means a great deal to the country your family now calls home.

Last updated: 22 October 2026

When the anthem plays at school

KHDA's Policy: Standards for UAE National Anthem Observance applies to all private schools and early childhood centres (ECCs) in Dubai, whatever the curriculum, from the first school day on or after 1 September 2026. Under it, schools must:

• Play it every school day. On days without an assembly, it plays over the public address system, so children hear it in class.
• Play it at the start of each shift, if the school runs more than one.
• Hold a group assembly at least once a week for every child, in a shared space facing the UAE flag, not in classrooms.
• Play it at the start of every school event, including plays, open days, sports days, international days and graduations, whether or not the event is about a national occasion. Online and hybrid events start with it too.
• Play it at gatherings for National Day, Commemoration Day and Flag Day.
• Play only the UAE anthem. The national anthem of any other country isn't played.

This isn't new to the UAE. Federal rules for licensing private schools already require them to play the national anthem and fly only the UAE flag, and Dubai's private school regulations list failing to play the anthem "with due reverence" among the breaches that can be fined. The 2026 KHDA standards set out exactly how it should happen day to day.

Your school chooses how to run its weekly assembly (whole school, by phase, by year group on a rota, or by section) and must tell parents before it changes the format. Check your school's emails for the assembly day; our school emails survival guide helps you spot that kind of notice among everything else.

What children do at assembly

When the anthem plays, pupils and staff stand upright, stay still and face the UAE flag where it's displayed, if they're physically able to. Children are encouraged to sing along, so don't be surprised when your child comes home humming it.

For the youngest (FS1 or Pre-K, FS2 or KG1, and Year 1 or KG2), KHDA is clear that little ones aren't expected to stand at formal attention. Being still and quiet for the anthem is enough, and schools judge it by respectful joining in, not by posture or getting every word right.

Children of determination are supported to take part in a way that suits them, for example from a seated or supported position, a quieter spot or with an adult beside them. These adjustments keep them with their classmates, not in a separate group, and aren't treated as falling short.

At drop-off and school events: stop, stand still, listen

The KHDA standards ask parents and visitors on school premises during the anthem to stand respectfully and give it their full attention. At events such as sports days, assemblies you're invited to and graduations, everyone present, including parents, stands while it plays if they're physically able to.

In practice, if you're inside the gate or in reception when the morning anthem starts:

• Stop where you are, and pause any conversation.
• Stand still. If you're holding a little one's hand, stay put together.
• Put your phone away until it ends.
• Listen. It's short.

The policy's definition of premises doesn't include car parks, public roads or pavements outside the school. Even so, if you hear it from the car park or the pavement, stopping for that minute is a respectful habit, and it shows your child that it matters to you too.

Schools must explain these expectations to parents at the start of each year, and many also use signs or printed notices. If your school has sent its own guidance, follow that.

Outside school

You'll also hear the anthem at national celebrations and official occasions. We couldn't find an official list of where it's played in public, or a public rule on what to do. The same courtesy works everywhere: if it plays where you are, stand still and listen until it ends.

Ishy Bilady: the basics

• Name: Ishy Bilady. The first line of the official English translation is "Live my country".
• Music: first conceived as an instrumental in 1971, the year the UAE was founded.
• Words: written in 1986 by Dr Aref Al Sheikh, and approved by the Cabinet.
• Composer: the official UAE Government pages we checked don't name one. Press reports have credited Saad Abdel Wahab, and The National has written about confusion between him and his uncle, Mohammed Abdel Wahab. We've marked this as not officially confirmed.
• In the Constitution: the federation has its own flag, emblem and national anthem.

The words, in Arabic and English

The Arabic words below are from the Government of Dubai's Protocol and Hospitality site, and the English is its official translation. We haven't printed a transliteration (the Arabic written in English letters) because we couldn't find an official one. Your child's school may share one.

Arabic (السلام الوطني لدولة الإمارات):

عيشي بلادي عاش اتحاد إماراتنا
عشت لشعب دينه الإسلام هديه القرآن
حصنتك باسم الله يا وطن
بلادي بلادي بلادي بلادي
حماك الإله شرور الزمان
أقسمنا أن نبني نعمل
نعمل نخلص نعمل نخلص
مهما عشنا نخلص نخلص
دام الأمان وعاش العلم يا إماراتنا
رمز العروبة
كلنا نفديكِ بالدماء نرويكِ
نفديك بالأرواح يا وطن

English (official translation):

Live my country, the unity of our Emirates lives
You have lived for a nation
Whose religion is Islam and guide is Quran
I made you stronger in God's name oh homeland
My country, my country, my country, my country
God has protected you from the evils of the time
We have sworn to build and work
Work sincerely, work sincerely
As long as we live, we will be sincere, sincere
The safety has lasted and the flag has lived oh our Emirates
The Symbol of Arabism
We all sacrifice for you, we supply you with our blood
We sacrifice for you we supply you with our blood
We sacrifice you with our souls oh homeland

Flag Day and National Day

Flag Day falls on 3 November each year, marking the day Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan became President in 2004. In 2026 it's a Tuesday. Each year flags are raised together across the country at 11am, at government offices, workplaces and schools, and it isn't a public holiday, so school runs as normal. Commemoration Day follows on 30 November, then National Day (Eid Al Etihad) on 2 December, marking the union of 1971. Schools must play the anthem at gatherings for all three, so expect to hear it often in November.

For 2026, the Ministry of Education calendar has schools closed for National Day from 2 to 4 December. Our KHDA calendar 2026-27 has the full year's dates, which days schools actually close is in Eid and National Day school holidays, and what children wear and bring for the celebrations is in our Flag Day and National Day school guide.

Helping your child, and your helper, feel at home with it

• Listen together at home. The UAE Government portal links to an official recording. Hearing it a few times makes assembly feel familiar.
• Talk about why. For small children, "this is the song of the country we live in, and we stand still to show respect" is plenty.
• Brief whoever does drop-off. If your nanny or helper does the school run, tell her about the morning anthem and the stand-still habit. It fits neatly into a weekly school brief.
• Note the event days. Sports days, open days and graduations all start with the anthem, so arrive a few minutes early and be settled when it begins.

UAE National Anthem FAQ

Is the UAE National Anthem played every day in Dubai schools?
Yes. Since September 2026, KHDA's standards require every private school and early childhood centre in Dubai to play it every school day, over the public address system on days without an assembly, and to hold a group assembly facing the UAE flag at least once a week for every child.

What should parents do when the anthem plays at drop-off?
Stop, stand still and listen until it ends. KHDA's standards ask parents and visitors on school premises to stand respectfully and give the anthem their full attention. Put your phone away and pause conversations for that minute.

Do young children have to stand to attention?
No. For FS1, FS2 and Year 1 (Pre-K, KG1 and KG2), KHDA says being still and quiet is enough. Children of determination are supported to take part in a way that suits them, without being separated from their class.

Is the anthem played at school events?
Yes. Schools must play it at the start of every event, including plays, open days, sports days, international days and graduations, and online or hybrid events too. Everyone present, parents included, stands if they're able to.

What is the UAE National Anthem called, and who wrote it?
It's called Ishy Bilady. The music was first conceived as an instrumental in 1971, and Dr Aref Al Sheikh wrote the words in 1986, which the Cabinet approved. Official government sources we checked don't name the composer.

Where can I find the official words in English?
The Government of Dubai's Protocol and Hospitality site publishes the Arabic words and an official English translation. Both are reproduced on this page with the link in our sources.

Sources

• UAE Government portal, Fact sheet (Ishy Bilady, instrumental in 1971, words by Dr Aref Al Sheikh in 1986, approved by the Cabinet; links to the official translation and recording)
• Government of Dubai, Protocol and Hospitality, Translation of UAE National Anthem (English)
• Government of Dubai, Protocol and Hospitality, السلام الوطني لدولة الإمارات (Arabic words)
• KHDA, Policy: Standards for UAE National Anthem Observance (sections 6.1 to 6.8; compliance from the first instructional day on or after 1 September 2026). Copy published by Ashmount School, Dubai
• KHDA, Executive Council Resolution No. (2) of 2017 Regulating Private Schools in the Emirate of Dubai (duty to play the UAE national anthem and hoist only the UAE flag; listed penalty)
• UAE Government portal, Licensing private educational institutes (playing the national anthem and raising only the UAE flag)
• UAE Cabinet, The Constitution (Article 5, flag, emblem and national anthem)
• UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 3 November 2020, UAE Flag Day (3 November, accession of Sheikh Khalifa, flags raised at 11am)
• UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, Flag Day
• UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, Commemoration Day (30 November; page read via search index, it did not load directly)
• UAE Government portal, Public holidays (National Day 2 and 3 December)
• UAE Ministry of Education, Academic Calendar 2026-2027 (PDF; National Day 2 to 4 December 2026)
• The National (news, composer credit, not an official source): the poet who penned the words and the day the anthem was first heard

Related: Flag Day and National Day school guide · Eid and National Day school holidays · The KHDA calendar, explained

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