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Calendar showing non-Arab events raises eyebrows

DUBAI — A promotional calendar for the new year, marking events not observed in the Arab world, that was distributed in the Dubai Educational Zone has raised some eyebrows.

The calendar issued by an international milk production company marking out days like All Fool’s Day and Halloween was distributed by some school administrations to students’ families, while some others did not.

Jumaa Al Salami, Assistant Under Secretary of the Ministry of Education, said no company had the right to distribute or advertise their products in the country’s schools without permission from the educational zone authorities concerned.

The rule was to protect the students from offensive or unbecoming words or phrases which should not be circulated among them.

He said companies should first obtain the zonal authorities’ permission before they distributed promotional products.

Khalifa bin Faris, deputy director of Dubai Educational Zone, said a circular had previously been issued to schools barring them from dealing with any company’s agents before they obtained official permission from the authorities concerned.

Fuwzia Hassen, director of the Sharjah Educational Zone, said government and private schools’ administrations should be more watchful and not allow such promotional items to be circulated among students.

Meanwhile, the company, which distributed 45,000 copies of the calendar, admitted of its mistake, saying that they had been imported from abroad. It admitted that it should have obtained official permission before distributing it.

• UAE