Dubai: There was laughter and there were tears as around 600,000 pupils went back to school yesterday.
While the inconvenience on the roads was unexpected for some, many students, teachers and parents had been preparing for the day for a while.
As most Indian, Pakistani and Arabic schools reopened in the new working week yesterday, teachers, pupils and parents were busy accommodating themselves to the new academic year.
Principals and headmasters were busy welcoming new students and meeting their parents, while students were collecting their books and getting introduced to the new year's curriculum.
Darryl Bloud, principal of the Indian-curriculum Dubai Modern High School, said the school is introducing an e-learning programme this year, which will allow students to check homework and lectures online, as well as access the system from classrooms.
"We used such technology to send notices to parents, who would receive mobile text messages when circulars would be issued, and students were able to check their reports online. Now, we're taking this to the learning process," he said.
Na'ima Jaafar, the new principal at government-run Al Alfiya Girls' School, said she intended to start new projects to enhance the level of education in the school, adding that she hoped to see more participation and interest in the school from parents.
New projects
Music teacher Nahla Sa'adallah said she hoped to see more support for music.
"We get financial support but I wish there was more recognition of the musical talent we have," she said, adding that she witnessed students being "healed" and "uplifted" by music in her 14 years of experience.
The academic year also marks the first time that expatriate students can enrol in government schools, as per a recent decision by the Ministry of Education.
Exciting classes
Students to compete in teaching juniors
Students of Grade XI at the Modern High School in Dubai are excited to compete for a programme in which a certain number of students are shortlisted to teach a subject of their choice to Grade VIII students.
Samantha D'silra, 15, and Rajiv Naresh, 16, started the first day of Grade XI yesterday, and were already nervous about the new teaching programme. Both students plan to compete for the 40 minutes of prestige in teaching juniors. The teachers would shortlist the best 45 student-teachers and allow them to teach more classes.
