More than 1m students return to UAE schools today

Dubai - The last day of classes for students this semester will be June 22

More than a million students will be  back to school today, after a two-week break, to resume the third and final semester of the academic year 2016-17.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) on Saturday called upon the teaching and administrative staff to provide students with a proper educational milieu to encourage them to learn and achieve good results.
The last day of classes for students this semester will be June 22, while the teaching staff will finish the academic year on July 6.
The ministry has also announced that the teaching staff shall be back on September 3 to start the next academic year of 2017-18, while students will return on September 10.
The ministry, meanwhile, announced that four new school books will be part of the Social Studies and Civics subject in the third semester. One of them is titled Sard Al Zat or My Early Life, authored by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
A second book is titled Immunising Youths from Destructive Ideas, by Dr Farouk Hamada, Advisor to the Court of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The other two books are Sustainable Development: The UAE is a Role Model and Social media: From Tribes to Facebook.
The objective of these books is to create a generation that is morally, mentally, intellectually and cognitively oriented. The step also aims to create more positive and good citizens.
The new books shall also link students to the UAE's cultural heritage and civilisation, and increase their commitment to their homeland and leaders.
The ministry, in a previous step, ensured that schools are well prepared and all set to receive students by making keeping educational tools and textbooks on the ready for students, and providing a comfortable and safe infrastructure.
Grade 12 final exam timing
The Ministry of Education has set the timings of Grade 12 final exams for general and advanced sections.
Students enrolled in the general section will sit for the finals from May 30 to June 4, 2017, while students in the advanced section shall take theirs from May 28 to June 4.
For other grades, from 1 to 11, students are scheduled to sit for the final exams from June 11-18.
Academic calendar
> The third semester ends on June 22
> Next academic year (2017-18) begins on September 10
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai