Students packed into classes

Umm Al Quwain: The numbers of public schools in Umm Al Quwain should instantly be increased to cope with the increasing number of students, said school officials in the emirate.

Some schools, they said, should be replaced while others should be provided with comprehensive maintenance. The principal of a secondary school in Umm Al Quwain said "it is time" for the Ministry of Education and the emirate's Educational Zone to introduce central air conditioning in public schools.

Air conditions

He explained that every classroom has six to eight window air conditioning units but that the students and teachers often say that the air conditioners don't work well.

The principal said window air conditioning units were not effective considering the large number of students in each classroom.

Some of them are left on all through the day, he said. Another problem, he said, was overcrowding in classrooms. Schools tend to pack students in the limited number of classrooms as their numbers increase.