Prioritise building schools
According to the story about the 20,000 Pakistani children in the UAE not going to school, around $25 billion has been invested in the country by Pakistanis living in the UAE (‘Around 20,000 Pakistani children in the UAE don’t go to school,’ Gulf News, September 9). This claim from the ambassador shows that they are a well to do community, so what is the issue in building more schools? I believe that the basic problem is that education has not been given enough importance within the community. This situation can only change if this perception changes.
From Mr Adel
Dubai
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Free schooling
I have a dream to build free schools for children who can’t afford schooling in the UAE. The labourers can’t afford to keep their families here, and I don’t think that they should have to live a lonely life away from their children. Free schools will guarantee educated future generations and a happy society. I wish someone with resources could pick up this dream and make it a reality.
From Mr Kamran Haider
Dubai
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School scheduling
I think the schools should operate on a two-shift per day schedule to double the capacity. The fees should be subsidised to enable people from all walks of life to acquire the required education.
From Mr Khuzema Ali Hussain
Dubai
Less expensive plan
I think the two-shift per day plan is a very good idea, and it could reduce the overall cost. To construct the new classrooms, it could be quite expensive. The community should come forward to help. Community members need to join together to educate the 20,000 children out of school.
From Mr Kashif Shaikh
Abu Dhabi
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More contributions
Start funding for contributions from the Pakistani community. These funds could be distributed to the schools as per the budgets submitted by them. The collection and distribution of funds would need to be very transparent.
From Mr Riffat
Fujairah
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Public support
The Pakistani community should ask for financial support from Pakistani nationals doing well in the UAE. They should also seek support from the Pakistani government.
From Mr Taher
Dubai
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Long distance studies
The Pakistani board of education needs to introduce long distance courses with immediate effect. This will help students to enroll in secondary school and do examinations privately in the UAE. I think this could definitely help low income families.
From Mr Mohammad Osman
Dubai
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Covering expenses
I am sad to hear the analysis from the Pakistani Ambassador. There is a simple solution for this: make new schools and give admission to children in need. The schooling business is like any other business. There is no shame in this, as we can cover these expenses easily.
From Mr Fahim
Dubai
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High school fees
I have seen many families where the parents earn around Dh4000 or less. How could they send their children to school with that? There doesn’t seem to be any support for them.
From Mr Ghulam Nabi Karimi
UAE
Facebook comment
Pakistan’s responsibility
Indian schools take children from every nationality, including Pakistan. Many Pakistanis prefer to send their children to Indian schools. It’s very easy to blame others and the authorities and say that they should help. But, I wonder about our own community and representatives from the government of Pakistan and where they stand. I think it’s our government’s responsibility.
From Mr Fares Seddiqi
Dubai
Facebook comment
A speedy recovery
I don’t understand how this woman thought she was pregnant for six months when it was a tumour (‘Surgeons remove 35kg tumour from woman’s ovary in Sharjah,’ Gulf News, September 9). With a massive tumour of that size, everyone should have been alarmed. She should have gone to see a doctor at an earlier stage. Thank God it was removed. Hail to the surgeons, and I pray for a speedy recovery for the woman.
From Ms Christine Blanco
UAE
Facebook comment
No appointments
She thought she was six months pregnant? That means that she never went to see a doctor until she could no longer bear the pain. I wonder what prevented her from seeing a specialist in the first place.
From Ms Rosario
Abu Dhabi
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Find another artist
If there must be an event, there are thousands of other singers that are much less sexually explicit than Lady Gaga (‘US pop diva Lady Gaga arrives in Dubai,’ Gulf News, September 9). I don’t think that mothers should want their daughters to see how this woman acts.
We are trying to protect our children from these kinds of things, and I don’t want them to be in a situation where they can’t look anywhere without it being thrown in their faces.
From Ms Aisha Syed
Dubai
Facebook comment
Instil good values
In response to Aisha, Dubai has concerts with artists like this often. Even if you turn on MTV, there are images you might not want your children to watch. If you go to a restaurant or party, you might see dancers who are dressed in a way you might not approve.
The world is full of things you may not like. You can’t make the world change to protect your children. You can only instil them with good values and allow them to learn to live in this world. Otherwise, they will grow up scared of their own shadows.
I am no fan of Lady Gaga, but only because I don’t like her music. Many people do, and showmanship is part of her act. I say live and let live.
From Ms Shanzeh S. Haque
Dubai
Facebook comment
Concerned about convenience
I think terminals one and three at the Dubai airport should be used for Emirates Airlines, as it would be very convenient for passengers using the Metro (‘$32b Dubai World Central development will take airport to 120m passenger capacity,’ Gulf News, September 9). The Dubai World Central (DWC) development is too far outside, in my opinion. A taxi fare coming to Dubai for a tourist will be approximately Dh100 minimum.
Maybe a frequent transportation service coming every half hour to Bur Dubai should be implemented to make it convenient for passengers. It could save people money and mental energy if there was a set fee of Dh20 charged to each passenger for a public shuttle.
From Mr Ayoub Parkar
Dubai
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Kudos to RTA
Congratulations to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on the completion of a successful five years of Metro (‘Dubai Metro is our lifeline: commuters,’ Gulf News, September 10). I also give a big round of applause to the Dubai authorities for their leadership in introducing the Metro. It has made commuting a pleasurable and convenient experience.
We would like to see more seating areas marked for women and have a stricter ban on men entering into the women only compartments. Earlier, Metro staff would intervene and escort men who occupied these areas. Now, we don’t come across this staff as often.
From Ms Florine
Dubai
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Growing numbers
The Metro service was much needed in Dubai because of the fast growing economy, the number of tourists and also the number of people who are not able to afford taxis. Since the number of passengers on the Metro is increasing every day, the RTA should consider launching more trains to accommodate because during rush hour, it’s nearly impossible to get in - especially for working women and children.
I also think that the timings of the service need to be extended for those who finish their work late at night. There are a lot of sales personnel in the shopping malls who work late and it would also be useful for tourists who would like to enjoy the city at night as well. Otherwise, I think that the authorities are doing a marvellous job.
From Mr Haider Shah
Dubai
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