Isolation journal reveals how Covid-19 affected UAE pupils


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

Hundreds of pupils have contributed to a school journal that documented how they spent their isolation when school campuses closed nationwide to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The 400-page journal was a pupil-led project at the Westminster School in Dubai and has entries from FS1 to graduating pupils, who expressed their thoughts through writing and drawings.

All educational institutions closed in the Emirates in March and 24-hour stay-home orders were instated in Dubai to prevent a spike in infections.

Pupils shared how they felt about being away from friends, teachers and staying indoors during the three-week stay-home order.

Saif Sultan, a pupil in year 3, wrote: “During the isolation I realised the worth of a lot of things, like playing under the sun, leaving the house, going to school, meeting my friends and a lot more.

“It was a lesson for me to appreciate everything. Studying online has made our eyes and backs weaker by sitting in front of devices for too long. We stopped writing as much as before, and studying became harder and boring.”

It was a lesson for me to appreciate everything

Arizza Dumayag, year 11 pupil, wrote that she used the spare time to develop new skills, such as baking, sewing and making mobile phone cases for friends.

She said she took on the extra activities to cope with the new changes caused by the virus.

“Quarantine has taught me that I have no patience at all,” wrote Arizza.

“I have been bored after just three days of staying at home with nothing to do. The first week of quarantine was easy to get through, but the more time I spent at home, the more my sanity was slipping. I was extremely bored and exhausted because I have not been sleeping properly now that school has been cancelled.

“Once quarantine is over the first thing I will do is hang out with my friends and eat lots of food. We will watch movies, drink bubble tea and just catch up on some stuff.”

Schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi reopened last month but not all pupils are back in class.

Parents across the country were given the option between choosing in-person classes and e-learning for the first term, as the UAE continues its fight against the virus.

Meanwhile, Sharjah extended online learning for another two weeks.

“A pandemic doesn’t happen every day and we thoughts expressing our feelings could help during these times,” said Taif Ibrahim, one of the pupils who led the project.

“We wanted pupils to share their experiences and write or draw about what they felt and what they were doing. We didn’t want anyone feeling alone.”

The full journal is available online.

Back to school: Pupils return to in-person classes

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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The Bio

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Series information

Pakistan v Dubai

First Test, Dubai International Stadium

Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11

Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20          

 Play starts at 10am each day

 

Teams

 Pakistan

1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza

 Australia

1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland

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Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

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Reputation

Taylor Swift

(Big Machine Records)

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5