Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is advancing the implementation of its comprehensive AI Literacy initiative across more than 170 private schools. The initiative provides a model of AI entitlement that progressively builds students’ capabilities from KG to Grade 12 while prioritising their wellbeing at every stage.
In the early years, learning focuses on developing critical and logical thinking through age-appropriate, screen-free experiences before they gradually start engaging with AI tools as they grow older and advance to evaluating AI outputs, developing AI-powered solutions and understanding how intelligent systems should be governed responsibly.
Throughout this learning journey, AI is used to support and extend students’ thinking, not replace it, with guardrails designed to prevent overreliance on AI and protect students’ cognitive agency. By Grade 12, students will progress to designing AI systems and scalable solutions, enabling them to progress from simply using AI to actively contributing to its development, according to a press statement by the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
At the core of the initiative is a purpose-built framework that follows a human-centered approach, positioning students as co-creators of AI systems and applications, guided by ethical judgment and responsible citizenship.
The framework defines clear learning outcomes across four key strands – AI conceptual understanding; critical evaluation and informed interaction; AI solution design and development; and responsible governance, data privacy and societal impact.
To ensure the framework remains rigorous and internationally benchmarked, its development has been informed by leading global and national institutions, including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Microsoft and Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
The framework is translated into practice through a dedicated AI curriculum that balances the know-how and know-why of AI. Extending across all grades, the learning progression is anchored in four AI learner profiles, from AI Aware Explorer and AI Literate Thinker, to AI Solution Builder by Grade 8 and Systems & Solutions Designer by Grade 12.
The curriculum includes a complete suite of year-long lesson plans and teacher toolkits. Schools can integrate the curriculum within existing subjects, through a hybrid model or as a standalone offering, giving them flexibility in delivery while ensuring students achieve the required AI learning outcomes at every stage.
To establish students’ starting points and measure how their capabilities develop, ADEK has introduced the AI Growth Test, a standardised school-level AI assessment conducted twice a year for students in Grades 4–12.
The assessment provides a baseline of students’ AI knowledge and skills, helping schools identify individual and cohort-level learning needs and track progress over time. Where gaps are identified, targeted bridging lessons will help students build the foundations needed to progress through the curriculum.
Underpinning the initiative is ADEK’s in-school Technology and AI Policy, which sets clear requirements for the adoption and use of AI and digital technologies across private schools. Schools are required to use AI learning tools that meet ADEK requirements and maintain the digital infrastructure and staff capabilities needed for responsible implementation.
The policy establishes safeguards across six key areas: data protection and student privacy; cognitive agency; academic integrity; human oversight of AI-generated decisions; content safety and cultural alignment with UAE values; and algorithmic fairness. These safeguards aim to ensure AI enriches the learning experience and strengthens students’ capabilities, while preserving the essential role of independent thinking, problem-solving, judgment and decision-making.
Recognising teachers as central to successful implementation, the initiative is anchored by a structured three-level professional development programme, with 19,000 educators targeted for training and upskilling by the completion of the programme.
Mandatory Level 1 Foundational AI Literacy training equips educators with core AI concepts, responsible and ethical use, prompting skills and practical classroom applications, including how AI-powered tools can support teaching and targeted interventions across subjects.
Level 2 provides optional training for heads of department across subject areas, focusing on integrating AI into teaching and learning. Level 3 provides advanced mastery training for a designated AI Lead in each school, building in-school expertise to support implementation and fellow educators.
Teachers are supported with a comprehensive resource package covering the syllabus, learning outcomes, lesson plans, teaching materials, assessment guidance, implementation resources and structured bridging content, enabling consistent curriculum delivery across schools.
Abu Dhabi’s AI Literacy initiative, through its continued implementation across Abu Dhabi’s private schools, marks a shift from introducing AI as a tool to embedding AI literacy as a core part of education. By combining ambitious learning outcomes with curriculum, assessment, policy and teacher development, the initiative aims to develop confident, values-driven learners who can harness AI critically, act ethically and contribute to the prosperity and wellbeing of Abu Dhabi and the world.
