Dubai: Students of a Dubai school swapped roles with cleaners and donated over one tonne of food products and toiletries to honour the school support staff on International Workers’ Day on Tuesday.
The Scouts and Guides in GEMS Our Own Indian School (OOIS) in Al Quoz dusted, swept and mopped the classrooms and helped arrange the school furniture, giving rest for a day for the cleaners, said Nisha Lal and Bridson John, the teachers in charge of the Scouts and Guides in the school.
They said the senior students also helped in cleaning up the school corridors.
Ashley Shajudheen, a guide from grade nine, said the initiative helped students feel more responsible in keeping the school premises neat.
“It felt good to help the aunties. Every job has its dignity. We need to respect their jobs and the value of what they do.”
Earlier, at the school assembly, students distributed hundreds of kilos of food products and toiletries to the school support staff including drivers, conductors, cleaners, security guards.
KG and primary students gifted fruits while middle school children brought rice, pulses and grains. The senior school students donated toiletries and towels.
“We packed the gifts in cloth bags that we made out of T-shirts and got some of them wrapped in old newspapers as our principal and teachers are encouraging us to go plastic-free,” said Michelle Rose Sanjayan, a Grade 12 student who is heading the Social Welfare Team that led the initiative.
“Most students hardly take the effort to greet the support staff or appreciate their jobs. I think this initiative will help change that attitude.”
Students gave speeches and sang songs to thank the support staff as they gifted the goody bags to around 160 support staff members.
Lalitha Suresh, Principal of GEMS OOIS, said the initiative showed the students took pride in the school and believed in giving back to the support staff and recognised the role they played in the educational system.
“Without them we are not going to get clean class rooms, toilets, canteens. Drivers and conductors are the ones who ensure the safety of children in the school buses.”
“It has been a very satisfying day for the children. Apart from marking the Workers’ Day, the initiative also embarked the spirt of Ramadan that will start in a couple of weeks. We are happy that our students could do this in the Year of Zayed.”
