More than a million pupils are set to return to schools on Monday, prompting the annual effort to ensure safety on the roads.
Head teachers have put traffic plans in place, urging families to arrive early at schools to avoid congestion, while police send out extra patrols as part of their yearly Accident-Free Day initiative.
The scheme aims to reduce collisions and injuries on the road by offering drivers the chance to wipe four black points from their licences on the day most pupils head back to campus for their first day of the new term.
Staggered return
To combat congestion, schools have staggered days of return for pupils and sent additional staff to help ease traffic on Monday.
Lt Col Nasser Abdullah Al Saadi, director of the security media department in Abu Dhabi Police, said the force is ready to secure the roads.
“We are all set for the new academic year. The plan will include increased police patrols on the roads and ensure smooth traffic by giving priority to school buses,” Mr Al Saadi said.
“Drivers should reduce vehicles’ speed near schools and leave safe distances behind school buses. Parents should drop their children in designated areas in front of the schools."
Last year's back-to-school safety drive was hailed as a major success after no incidents were recorded around the emirate's schools.
Increased school staffing
Gems Dubai American Academy will stagger the return of 700 pupils on Monday, while all 3,400 pupils will have returned by Tuesday.
The school is located near Hessa Street, known for its heavy traffic.
"We will have additional staff, not only for the first couple of days, but for the first couple of weeks," said Ethan Hildreth, superintendent at the school.
"We have also have improved the internal flow of traffic by adding two internal roads that will manage the traffic.
"One road is a new loop that services family access to our new middle school block. We added an internal road that will enable parents to loop right up to the building to drop off children."
He said a significant number of pupils would also be riding on busses.
"We have a higher ridership on the busses than we have ever had before, and that's a convenient way for pupils to reach school."
Mr Hildreth advised parents to leave early as it could take a little time for the traffic patterns to be established after summer holidays.
Extra resources
Lisa Johnson, principal at American Academy for Girls in Dubai, said the school had taken extra steps to help parents navigate first-day traffic.
“We’ve provided maps indicating where road construction is occurring and adjusted our start time by 15 minutes earlier,” said Ms Johnson.
“We’ve moved homeroom to time block one to ensure that if parents are delayed, students won’t miss core academic classes.
“With extra staff on hand to guide vehicles and support the drop-off process, we’re committed to making the first day a positive experience for everyone.”
As parents return from holidays with their children, Neal Dilk, principal at Bateen World Academy, stressed the need to get back into an efficient routine quickly.
“It can sometimes be a little bit difficult for people to come out of holiday mode, so we are reminding parents to plan for a little bit of extra time when coming to school for the first couple of weeks, while families settle back into their school-commuting routines,” said Mr Dilk.
School bus safety
Emirates Transport, a provider of school transport in the UAE, announced that they had inspected over 7,600 buses and trained more than 18,000 bus drivers and supervisors on safety procedures ahead of the new school year.
Drivers also had trial runs before the first school day to ensure they were familiar with the routes.
Aamer Juma Al Shahi, operations director at Emirates Transport said: "To ease traffic, particularly for parents dropping off their children after the summer vacation, we have implemented several measures.
"These include optimising bus routes to improve efficiency and coordinating closely with parents to ensure their children are ready and waiting at the pick-up location at least five minutes prior to the scheduled time.
"To further reduce traffic congestion, we recommend parents consider carpooling options or utilising our bus services. These initiatives are designed to streamline the drop-off process and alleviate traffic bottlenecks.”
To meet the high demand and ensure a smooth service, Emirates Transport has hired 533 more bus drivers and 466 female bus supervisors for the new school year.
*Additional reporting by Ali Al Shouk
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
