Students avoiding Islamic studies to be failed

DUBAI — Education authorities have directed a private school to fail two siblings in Arabic language and Islamic instruction papers after the students sought exemption from attending those classes, claiming them to be difficult.

By Mohsen Rashid

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Published: Sat 19 Feb 2005, 10:37 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Nov 2023, 2:18 PM

The Education Ministry directed the school in Sharjah to release them the files at the end of the academic year along with a ‘failed’ certificate in the two subjects to the grade 8 and 6 students, Shayan and Shadan, respectively whose father Hussein Al Hariri had also supported their stand.

The decision came after the Ministry considered the reports of the school management, the Sharjah educational zone and the inspecting departments of the two subjects.


The school administration said in its report that it has refused admission to the students for the next academic year due to their “misconduct” in Islamic instructions and Arabic classes.

The report said the students used to be absent from the school when they went to work as models in TV advertisements. The report pointed out that they showed little aptitude for their studies and were shielded by their father.


The school also alleged that the students’ father used “indecent” language in a letter to the school in which he requested the school to allow the students to avoid the classes in the two subjects. The school believed that the show of “disrespect” and “disinterest” reflected negatively on the entire school.

The Islamic instructions inspection department and the educational zone rejected the father’s suggestion that the teacher of the subject was not qualified. The reports said the teacher had a master’s degree in arts and Islamic studies.

According to the school, the father had last year also sought exemption for his wards from studying the two subjects, which was rejected.

The school had initially refused to admit the students for the current academic year, but reversed the decision after the father went to the deputy director of the private education department and gave an undertaking that he would comply with the Ministry’s regulations. Despite that, Al Hariri approached the school this year with the request to exempt his wards from attending the two classes, the school said.



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