RAS AL KHAIMAH // Mona had been counting to 20 every day so she could show off to her new friends in class.
So when her bus to the Hind bint Otaiba Centre for Adult Education arrived late on Tuesday, Mona, 40, worried she would miss the first half of her lesson when her teacher would test the class on numbers learnt the previous week.
Without bothering to adjust the abaya that trailed behind her, she rushed to class with her whiteboard and marker in hand and took a seat in the second row.
The pale-blue walls of her classroom are chipped and peeling, and desks are crammed in to accommodate the 40 women who are being educated here for the first time.
Most of them missed out on school because of family restrictions or marriage, but some young girls are also sent here if they fail a grade twice.
"I did not get a chance to study when young," said Mona, an Emirati. "I was the oldest of four siblings, so my mother said I should stay at home and help her look after them."
Today Mona has three children who have gone to university and work. It is the perfect time to gain the taaleem (education) she was deprived of. "My husband is very supportive and that motivates me to study," she said.
Maha Mohammed, Mona's literacy teacher, began their revision by asking them to write the number 19 on their boards. There was a frenzy: everyone from a 13-year-old to the oldest student, who is 60, wanted to be first to get it right.
The women nudge each other and peek at neighbours' whiteboards before scribbling down a number and frantically waving it to get the instructor's attention.
"No, this is wrong Fouzia," said Ms Mohammed before walking to the next student, struggling to see the boards in the dimly lit classroom.
The Hind bint Otaiba Centre educates 250 students at different levels, all preparing for a secondary school certificate.
The literacy classes are taken up by students who have never been to school and are learning to read and write in Arabic. More intensive subjects are introduced as they progress.
"The students are always very excited to learn," said the teacher. "They are attentive and consider even the smallest thing learnt an achievement."
Ms Mohammed said that sometimes enthusiasm could be overshadowed by the shoddily maintained campus.
"I've been here for 20 years and have seen no development in adult education," she said. "The building is not maintained, never painted, and we do not have computers or modern materials to teach with."
Fatima Abdul Rahman, the school's principal, said the number of women joining had increased. "No one pushes them, they want to be here," said Ms Abdul Rahman. "But there are problems that need addressed so their motivation remains."
aahmed@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
