From the editors: Freeze on school fees in UAE in sync with the times, Stage set for two top sides to clash in T20 finale

FREEZE ON SCHOOL FEES IN UAE IN SYNC WITH THE TIMES The decision by Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) to freeze school fees for the 2021-2022 academic year is yet another pragmatic step that will go a long way in alleviating the conditions of all those parents with school-going children, who have been struggling to manage their finances since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) had taken a similar decision for schools in Dubai. These measures go hand in hand with certain other decisions such as free COVID-19 screenings for all students returning to physical classrooms in Abu Dhabi and launching a chartered school in the emirate under the Ministry of Education’s curriculum. These are substantive measures that are in sync with the challenging times we live in and once again go to show that in the UAE, it’s always humanity first. (COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor)

STAGE SET FOR TWO TOP SIDES TO CLASH IN T20 FINALE It will be a winner-takes-all finale when India and England clash in the fifth and final T20 International at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday. After a patchy run in the first three matches, the hosts gave a complete performance to be the first team to defend their total in the series – not before many a tense moment though. There were several positives for them, the best of them being Suryakumar Yadav’s batting on debut and then the control their medium pacers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur showed despite a high level of dew in late evening.(COMMENT BY Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor)

A HUMANE RETELLING A new documentary will be based on late actress Brittany Murphy, who died suddenly of a cardiac arrest on December 20, 2009. She was just 32. Amid a spate of documentaries about those in the entertainment industry, we can only hope that movies made about people who have died will be respectful. Human curiosity is a bankable thing these days, but films should not overstep boundaries as the dead cannot speak for themselves. There have been documentaries about stars such as Amy Winehouse that have been insightful and humane, and every such film should make sure to follow the same principles.(COMMENT BY Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features)

A YEAR ON AND WE’RE STILL LEARNING ABOUT COVID-19 A new report published this week has revealed that the majority of people who have had COVID-19 are protected from getting it again for at least six months. However, the large-scale study - carried out in Denmark, with the findings published in The Lancet medical journal - went on to say that older people are more prone to reinfection than younger people. Reinfections are rare but they do happen. When these viruses mutate, there is no telling who will be most in danger to them. That is why it is vital that we all remain vigilant and continue to wear masks and keep social distancing for the foreseeable future. More than a year has passed but we are still learning about this virus. And with it constantly changing, beating it will take incredible effort, but we’ll get there. (COMMENT BY Imran Malik, Assistant Editor)