Teachers and pupils at one of Dubai's largest private schools were in jubilant mood on Sunday as they marked the end of distance learning – and another major step forward in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most of the emirate's school population of close to 300,000 pupils, barring those with exemptions, headed back to classrooms on a landmark day for the education sector.
High vaccination rates among pupils and school staff – figures released last month showed 96 per cent of Dubai's private schoolteachers had been vaccinated and 70 per cent of children aged between 12 and 17 had received coronavirus shots – coupled with declining infection numbers have ensured return to the pre-pandemic education model.
At The Indian International School, pupils and teachers danced to the beat of the dhol, a traditional Indian musical instrument, to welcome everyone as all pupils returned to school for the first time in the pandemic.
Nearly 13,000 pupils attended the school's three campuses on Sunday.
Close to 95 per cent of those pupils had returned to in-person school for the first time in 18 months and they were excited to reunite with friends and teachers, albeit behind the protection of masks.
“I am on cloud nine. It’s been one-and-a-half-years since I have been on campus for in-person classes and I have missed it and my friends terribly” said Nehan Naseem Ali, a 12-year-old pupil on the school's Oud Metha campus, which houses about 7,000 pupils.
“Now that I am back, new rules are in places such as social distancing, masks being mandatory, no handshakes, but I am still excited to meet my friends and teachers.”
Ali said he enjoyed learning online but it limited social interaction.
Pupils miss sports and science
Sathya Lakshmi, 15, was happy to close her laptop and return to in-person learning.
“I missed working in the laboratories and learning through practical lessons. Also, I missed going to the library and borrowing books," she said.
Pupils had to work in online labs during remote learning.
Sian Shinjo, a Grade 10 pupil at the school, was eager to work as a team with fellow learners once more.
“I am a bit nervous as everything has changed a lot. I am sure it will be safe and the school has kept us informed," said the 15-year-old.
“But, I really missed team sports and activities like playing cricket, football, and basketball."
Pupils in their last year at school relished the return of classroom camaraderie.
“I have only six months of school left and I am excited but also nervous," said Priyal Babariya of Grade 12.
“Meeting your friends, walks to the canteen, eating my favourite food at the canteen…I want to enjoy all of this." the 17-year-old said.
“Online learning was new but it was not necessarily a bad thing. We learnt new ways of doing things."
She said pupils had got accustomed to wearing masks and following other safety protocols.
Return to schools a moment to cherish
“Having the pupils back is unbelievable. I feel ecstatic. Empty hallways and empty schools are no fun. It’s like Eid and Diwali combined for us," said Punit MK Vasu, chief executive of The Indian High Group of Schools.
“We went all out cranking up the beat...making a big bang with dhols, dance and pompoms to welcome back our pupils and teachers."
Mr Vasu said he had looked forward to the day all his pupils would return to school.
“Initially numbers were low because people were not vaccinated. Parents also got used to distance learning."
He said the school treated distance learning and in-person classes as equally important.
“We are a community school and are used to having a large number of pupils as we are providing affordable education to many pupils."
To keep children safe the school has realigned its transport system and put checks in place.
"We have layered protection strategies such as a multilayered check points," said Mr Vasu.
"We have fully trained health and safety officers, right from security checks to the top. We have added more transport routes because our busses are safe and have a high level of safety protocols."
The school established a dedicated team to addresses parents' concerns over the resumption of in-person lessons.
Pupils' attainment and progress would be evaluated and children who have any learning gaps or feel anxious about the return to campus would be given support.
Parents stress need for social interaction
Uma Madhumohan, whose daughter Tejasvi is a Grade 10 pupil at the school, said her daughter was excited to get back to online learning.
“Children were in a cocoon within four walls. I am so glad that schools have opened," said Ms Madhumohan.
“Interacting and competing with peers is very important for children."
Rohi Ilyas, a mother of two and an entrepreneur, said her children had studied online for 18 months because of health reasons.
The children returned to school after both received the Pfizer vaccine, but the long period of remote studies affected their social abilities.
"They did not sleep last night and were very excited to get back to school," said Ms Ilyas.
"During online learning, my children who were very optimistic became pessimistic."
Utkarsh Chaube, whose 13-year-old son attends the school, was another parent glad to see the full-time resumption of in-person lessons.
"We noticed that the interaction skills had gone down," said Mr Chaube.
"Most of the time the children were in front of screens. My son was spending about 10-12 hours in a day in front of a screen which is not good from a development perspective.
"He was not willing to go out. We wanted him to get back to school and meet friends."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Company%20Profile
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Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
