Private schools are rolling out ADEK’s new AI Literacy initiative
AI is no longer just something students use at home. Abu Dhabi is rolling out a major AI literacy programme across more than 170 private schools, with children set to learn everything from the basics of artificial intelligence to designing their own AI systems.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is advancing the implementation of its AI Literacy initiative across more than 170 private schools, covering students from KG through Grade 12.
The idea is not simply to teach children how to use ChatGPT or other AI tools.
Instead, the programme is designed to help students understand how AI works, question its answers, develop AI-powered solutions and eventually understand how intelligent systems should be designed and governed responsibly.
AI learning will start without screens
For younger children, the focus will initially be on developing critical and logical thinking through age-appropriate, screen-free activities.
As students get older, they will gradually begin working with AI tools and learning how to evaluate the information they produce. The aim is for AI to support and extend students’ thinking rather than replace it.
By Grade 12, students will progress towards designing AI systems and scalable solutions, moving from simply using AI to contributing to its development.
So what will students actually learn?
ADEK’s framework is built around four key areas:
- Understanding AI concepts
- Critically evaluating and interacting with AI
- Designing and developing AI solutions
- Responsible AI use, including governance, data privacy and societal impact
The programme has been developed with input from organisations including the OECD, MIT, Microsoft and Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
Students will also move through four AI learning stages as they progress through school, from AI Aware Explorer and AI Literate Thinker, to AI Solution Builder by Grade 8 and Systems & Solutions Designer by Grade 12.
Schools can choose how they teach it
The AI curriculum includes year-long lesson plans and teacher resources, but schools won’t necessarily have to introduce it as a completely separate subject.
Schools can incorporate the programme into existing subjects, use a hybrid approach or offer it as a standalone curriculum, while still working towards the required learning outcomes.
There will be an AI test
ADEK has also introduced the AI Growth Test, a standardised assessment for students in Grades 4 to 12.
It will be carried out twice a year to establish students’ existing AI knowledge and track how their skills develop. If schools identify gaps, targeted lessons can be introduced to help students catch up before moving on to the next stage.
There are rules around how AI can be used
The programme comes alongside ADEK’s Technology and AI Policy for schools, which establishes safeguards around the use of AI and digital technologies.
These cover student data and privacy, independent thinking, academic integrity, human oversight, content safety and cultural alignment, and algorithmic fairness.
In other words, schools are being asked to make sure AI enhances learning without taking away the need for students to think, solve problems and make their own decisions.
Teachers are getting AI training too
It’s not just students who are being asked to get to grips with AI.
ADEK’s professional development programme aims to train and upskill 19,000 educators. Teachers will receive foundational training covering AI concepts, ethical use, prompting and practical classroom applications.
There are also further training levels for heads of department and designated AI Leads at individual schools, who will help support wider implementation.
When is it happening?
This isn’t a programme that’s simply planned for some point in the future. ADEK says implementation is already being advanced across more than 170 private schools, with the initiative spanning the full journey from KG to Grade 12.
The latest ADEK announcement was published on 18 September 2026.
So if your child attends a private school in Abu Dhabi, AI literacy is set to become an increasingly familiar part of their education, from learning how to think critically about AI to eventually designing AI-powered systems themselves.
