Parents in UAE reminisce on schools days gone by

Dubai - As students bid adieu to their summer vacation, parents recount their own school days. Here's what has changed in all these years.

On the day UAE schools reopen, parents revisit their school days gone by. From putrid break time milk cartons to creative, yet sustainable ways to cover texts books, we see just how much things have changed in one generation. But please be warned - NO iPADS ALLOWED!

Book coverings, not iPad cases:

"When we were given our school books, they were on loan and we had to return them in good condition. The first week we had to cover them all in brown paper. Then we (not the good ones) would draw on the covers. If you couldn't afford brown paper, you covered them in newspaper. The main thing is, today my daughter is super excited to go back. I hated it. My husband was the same. He says they used to pray the school would be burned down. So I guess school is more fun these days than in ours."

- Alison Watt, UK

Stricter rules:

Dress code and homework "I feel schools were stricter with dress code, hairstyles and homework. For example skirts had to be below the knee, socks folded over only once, hair longer than shoulder length and had to be tied back in a certain colour hair band, fringes no longer than eye brows, shirts tucked in at all times, hats and blazers on when outside of school. Homework was given daily and had to be handed in the next morning. All of these rules leading to demerits or detention if not followed. So I feel maybe I have the morning rush a bit easier than my mum did (I do try to apply some of these rules to my kids though)."

- Manisha Daya, Zimbabwe

Pens, pads, and eyeballs too!

We used to always go into town to buy new shoes and white underwear from Marks and Spencer then head off to the local stationary shop for all our pencils, pens, erasers, pads, and instrument sets. We used to always have to stock up the fridge with stuff for biology as my mum worked in the biology department, so had to drive to school with eyeballs, hearts, kidneys on our laps."

- Kate Gravestock, UK

An active summer holiday

"It was a mixed bag of emotions when I had to go to school after a long summer vacation. After enjoying every moment of the holidays visiting relations, hill-stations, savouring gourmet delights and having a blast with buddies, the alarm bell announcing the first day of the school was a rude awakening. Incomplete assignments, half-hazardous done journals and other activities and the thought of being punished for not being diligent was too much too bear. Today's children readjust faster than the generation before. This is probably due to the wider exposure they have to the scintillating technological advancement and other means of good pastime."

- Jayashree Kulkarni, India

Playing outside at break time

"During my days, going back to school was exciting. You'd make new friends, meet new teachers, and get a new bag and shoes. But now for my son, he's not so excited because his bag is heavy, and he spends his weekends doing homework. But he does it online which is so different to in my day. Kids nowadays find it boring when there are no gadgets to play with but when I was young, playing with my classmates outdoors was really fun. Today they'd rather choose to spend time with gadgets than friends."

- May Dizon, The Philippines

Break time milk cartons

"Walking to school was part and parcel of my daily routine. I used to come home for lunch too, and we had the mandatory bottle of milk at break time which I hated. A big thing for me is the age of teachers nowadays. I'm sure the teachers were older - or maybe that's just me."

Joanne Jewell, UK

Also read: UAE school students resume classes after vacation

• UAE