UAE students in last stretch of their summer holiday

Dubai: Maintenance and cleaning work is in full swing at most private and public schools as students enjoy the carefree life during the last few days of their summer holiday.

All students attending public schools are set to begin their school year on Sunday. Teaching and academic staff reported for work on Sunday.

A number of schools told Gulf News some of their teaching staff members are still out of the country and are expected to rejoin within a couple of days.

"We still have a little maintenance and cleaning to do before before students start their school year.

"We also haven't receive all our books but I expect the Knowledge and Human Development Authority to supply us with the rest of the material this week," Mohammad Al Mas, principal of Al Ma'aref Public School for Secondary Education, said.

Al Thuraya Private School that caters to low-income Arab families has completed most of its preparations, but still faces a big challenge because some teachers resigned recently.

"Every school faces some difficulties at the beginning of any academic year, which is normal. The important thing is to make sure you have a strategic plan for the year," Akeel Mohammad, principal, said.

The school underwent some renovation, including building a safety fence around the school structure.

Well-established

The New Indian Model School had a long list of potential new students as it has been a well-established school for 30 years. It caters to over 6,000 students. Females attend during the day while males attend an afternoon shift.

The school is constructing a new building to cater for growing demand, which is expected to be finished in two months, Abdul Qutti, academic supervisor of the school, said.

Many of the administrative and teaching staff at some private schools have not yet returned to schools visited by Gulf News on Sunday.

The Grammar School that teaches the British Curriculum is to begin its academic year on September 7. They are currently still undergoing maintenance and cleaning work.

Dr. P. D'Cruz, director of the Grammar School, said, everything is running according to schedule.

Some teachers said they expect a number of students to miss the first few days as the beginning of the academic year falls together with the start of Ramadan.