Dubai school inspections encouraging, Remittances going digital, Everton fans applaud Muslim footballers, and more, Gulf News Editors comment on the top stories on April 4

DUBAI SCHOOL INSPECTION RESULTS VERY ENCOURAGING: The latest school inspection results released by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) are encouraging as 25 out of the 199 schools inspected have improved their ratings. It is also reassuring that 77 per cent or 244,868 students attend private schools that are rated ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘outstanding’. That a few schools, over the years, have slipped in their rakings also goes to show that the delivery of education is a dynamic process where constant monitoring and adaptation to changing times is a must in order to stay ahead. There is no room for complacency when it comes to teaching or learning. (By Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor).

IN UAE, REMITTANCES TOO BREAK DIGITAL BARRIER: In times past, a vignette of being an expat in the UAE was the trip to nearest remittance house, stand in the queue, peer up to the board displaying exchange rates live. While that community experience is still very much a part of the UAE’s social landscape, here too digital is making inroads. And in significant ways. A new Visa study finds that a significant majority of UAE remitters are going full digital in moving their funds to their home markets. Clearly, convenience trumps the fact that digital transfer of money comes with higher fees than at a physical remittance outlet. Will remittances go 100 per cent digital? (By Manoj Nair, Business Editor)

EVERTON FANS APPLAUD MUSLIM TRIO WHILE BREAKING FASTS: Last night, the English Premier League match at Goodison Park was stopped in the 26th minute so that the three Muslim players in the Everton team could break their fast. The pause in play was pre-agreed by the match officials and the game was halted during a throw-in to allow Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye to take on energy supplements. It was heartwarming to see the reception these three players received by the 38,000 Everton fans. They applauded the trio for continuing to play to their highest level while fasting during Ramadan. Tonight’s matches will also pause briefly and this has been standard practice since the 2020-21 season in England. It is good to see the majority of fans appreciate the effort of players during the holy month. (By Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor)

ACTRESS PRIYANKA CHOPRA SPEAKS UP: WHAT IT MEANS FOR US: Hollywood actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who was once equally successful in Bollywood, was recently questioned about the kerfuffle she created by her comments on her "beef with people in Bollywood", which forced her out of India. The actress replied that she faced tumultuous times back then and that she has gather the courage to speak about her past. That last statement speaks volumes. It isn't easy for people to speak about the wrongs in their life. And it take a great deal of courage to come out in the open. We saw that when actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently spoke about a medical condition she was dealing with. The silver lining in all of this, is the more celebrities and public personalities speak about their difficulties, it normalises the trend for all of us. (By Rajagopalan Venkataraman, Assistant Editor-Features)