A prolonged period of e-learning that could stretch until 2021 has led some parents to consider pulling their children out of school and pursuing traditional homeschooling.
Families with young children said they may attempt to teach a basic curricula themselves rather than pay as much as Dh60,000 per year in primary school fees.
Some said boarding schools abroad were another option - though it remains unclear how long disruption to aviation and periods of quarantine for travellers may last.
The UAE's education authorities have yet to decide how pupils would be taught next term after three months of distance learning due to the virus outbreak. Schools across the country have said they are preparing for e-learning to carry on to September and possibly into 2021.
In a crisis situation what they did was fantastic but it does not work as a long-term solution
Samantha Armstrong, a British mother with a nine-year-old son in school, said distance learning with relatively minimal contact with teachers was no substitute for in-class lessons.
“There are so many limitations to the online learning model,” said Ms Armstrong, 39, a media consultant who lives in Dubai.
“In a crisis situation what they did was fantastic but it does not work as a long-term solution. If online education continues it will affect the quality of learning."
She said parents would struggle if they had to return to work but could not send their children to school full time in September.
The best case scenario, officials and headteachers said this week, would be pupils in class 70 per cent of the time and learning from home for 30 per cent. If the Covid-19 outbreak is not under control by September, 100 per cent of classes may be taken at home.
Ms Armstrong said if e-learning must continue in September then schools should further reduce tuition fees.
While homeschooling and forms of parent-taught online education has gained popularity, the vast majority of parents in the UAE send their children to brick and mortar schools.
More than one million children attend 1,262 private and public schools, and only a handful of parents opt for to teach their children at home.
Earlier this month, The National reported online schools and home education services had seen a surge in popularity after schools moved to distance learning.
Abir Saud, 37, a mother of three in Dubai, said she also hoped schools would reopen in a few months, after struggling to stay on top of her children’s studies alone.
“My husband was stuck in Riyadh due to the lockdown and it took me time to ground myself and stay positive," said Ms Saud, who is British.
“My mental health cannot take this any more.
“My twins will be in foundation stage 2 next year, and it will be impossible for me to homeschool them. I feel they will suffer a lot because of this."
Homeschooling is not prohibited or regulated by the UAE's authorities.
Emiratis who choose to teach their children at home must show they are meeting certain educational requirements, while expats do not.
Pupils are also not required to be accredited to a curriculum but a parent can decide to choose one.
Critics of homeschooling claim the quality of the education taught by parents may vary considerably, and that in some cases forms of abuse that could have been spotted by a teacher could go unnoticed.
But the Dubai and Northern Emirates Homeschool Association, a home-schooling support group, said it has received a barrage of requests from parents in the past week.
Michaela Cooper, an American mother of five and co-founder of the association, said parents were interested in knowing what was involved.
“I definitely do anticipate an increase in parents choosing to homeschool for the next academic year,” Ms Cooper said.
Fiona McKenzie, from Carfax Education in Dubai, an education consultancy that provides tutoring, said families were looking at alternatives.
"We have also seen a spike in inquiries for British boarding schools as your child will be in a stable environment where the quality of education is high," she said.
Parents who were unhappy with how their child's school dealt with the pandemic were likely to move schools.
“There are key transition points we are finding parents are concerned about, for example if children are in Grade 11 and will transition to exam years," Ms McKenzie said.
“When parents are being asked to register for next year they are asking, 'what am I paying for? I don’t know what I am committing to at this stage'."
Despite evidence of a spike in homeschooling, most parents said they wanted to see their children back in classrooms, even if it has to be done in phases.
Victoria Uriz, an auditor at a health insurance company with two children aged between 4 months and 3 years, said she struggled to get her eldest to focus.
“Our house is not a school and it’s not easy to make a child sit in front of a television and teach him," said Ms Uriz, 38, from Spain.
"For him it's very difficult to understand that I am his teacher and not his mum at that time.
Children need to go back. Even if they split the class and go on alternate days
“If this continues when he will be in the primary section, I will try to ask my organisation to shift me to another country.
“I paid for an English-speaking school because I want my son to learn English. My accent is not good."
Emma West, a British mother, said that the longer distance learning continued, the more concerned she was for her daughter’s development.
"Children need to go back. Even if they split the class and go on alternate days," said Ms West, 41.
"My daughter has sensory processing issues and is falling behind.
"Not being in her classroom environment with her teacher and peers working towards the same goals is causing havoc for her.
"She needs the routine of her classroom."
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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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
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.
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
more from Janine di Giovanni
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
