Sharjah regulator sets rules for AI use in private schools
Pupils must disclose when they use AI in assessed work, and schools must check what the tools produce, under the emirate's new framework.
15 October 2026 · 2 min read
Sharjah's private schools now have a set of rules on how teachers and pupils may use artificial intelligence, after the emirate's regulator published an ethical framework for AI in education this week.
The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA), which oversees the emirate's private schools, launched the framework for schools and other education institutions across Sharjah, Gulf News and Sharjah24 reported on 13 and 14 October 2026.
The authority said the framework is meant to raise the quality of teaching and support digital change in schools while protecting pupils' privacy and data and keeping coursework honest. It is built on the UAE's national directives and on principles including fairness, transparency, accountability, human oversight, cybersecurity and critical thinking.
Much of the practical detail concerns schoolwork. The framework sets out how far AI may be used in homework, projects and assessments. Pupils must say when they have used it, where that is appropriate, and AI-generated material must not stand in for a pupil's own work or for the teacher. Schools are expected to check what AI tools produce, including where the information comes from.
The rules also assign duties to each group in a school community. School leaders, teachers, pupils, IT staff, education specialists and parents each have defined responsibilities, the authority said. The guidance takes account of the different curricula and learning settings in the emirate's schools.
A separate section covers schools' own use of AI in their media and marketing. It aims to protect official symbols and visual identity and to keep published content accurate and in line with approved standards.
Aisha Butti Al Ghafli, director of SPEA's curriculum and assessment department, said the framework showed the authority's commitment to bringing new technology into classrooms on clear and responsible terms. She said it would protect learners' data, strengthen the teacher's role and build pupils' habits of checking information.
The authority said the framework also aims to support adaptive learning, improve teachers' digital skills and prepare pupils for the future.
