Private school pupils in Dubai will enjoy a full week off for Eid Al Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan.
Education regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), announced the decision on Tuesday.
It means pupils will be off from Monday, May 2 to Friday, May 6, returning on Monday, May 9.
The move puts Dubai schools in line with most government and public sector workers, who have a nine-day holiday, including the weekends. Authorities in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are yet to confirm dates for private schools.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said private sector employees are entitled to Saturday, April 30 until Shawwal 3 in the Islamic calendar.
This means the holiday will be from Saturday, April 30, and last until Tuesday, May 3 or Wednesday, May 4, depending on the start date of Eid and the sighting of the new moon.
It is up to private sector employers to decide if they wish to be closed for the remainder of the week, on Thursday and Friday, which some are expected to.
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal at Delhi Private School Dubai, said: "We are very excited. This is like a breath of calm after the storm of the pandemic.
"The excitement is that we finally get to have a break and with a new term for all of us, there is a sense of excitement in the air.
"But many of our pupils have board exams on, so many of us will be working through part of the break."
Indian curriculum CBSE exams started on Tuesday and close to 600 pupils will be sitting them at the school. Ms Nandkeolyar said some pupils may travel home for the break, but others may choose to stay in the UAE and enjoy the Eid celebrations here.
Companies opt to extend Eid break
Xylem, a global water technology company, decided to give its just over 100 employees in the UAE the entire week off for Eid.
Jennifer Gillespie, its director of human resources for Middle East and Turkey, said: "We were just sitting in a leadership team meeting today and as we discussed it my children's school Whatsapp messages started pinging to inform me that Dubai’s private schools had announced the week off. It aligned nicely but it did not form part of our decision making."
“If a leave falls on a weekend, we carry it forward in to the week so that was carried to Thursday. We all tend to work from home on a Friday so we decided that we would just give the full week off.
“It’s the end of Ramadan and people are super-tired. We recognise that and we just want people to have a good break with their families. Many of the team have already booked holidays."
While the extra day off on Thursday is a token of appreciation from the organisation, the day off on Friday will be deducted from employee’s leave balance, she said.
UAE-based players
Goodlands Riders: Jamshaid Butt, Ali Abid, JD Mahesh, Vibhor Shahi, Faizan Asif, Nadeem Rahim
Rose Hill Warriors: Faraz Sheikh, Ashok Kumar, Thabreez Ali, Janaka Chathuranga, Muzammil Afridi, Ameer Hamza
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Fixture and table
UAE finals day: Friday, April 13 at Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
- 3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
- 6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership – final standings
- Dubai Exiles
- Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Jebel Ali Dragons
- Dubai Hurricanes
- Dubai Sports City Eagles
- Abu Dhabi Saracens
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
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- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
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Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
