With a new resolve to make it big!

The UAE is ranked 13th for quality primary education and has a competitive module The UAE is ranked 13th for quality primary education and has a competitive module

Kids, get out of slumber. It's time to resume school activity and put yourselves in work mode! The long vacation is over, and this is the time to collect your books, bags, stationery and notes, and prepare them for inspection by your teachers and wards. 
As more than a million students get back to school in the UAE, there is euphoria in the air. This development comes with lots of challenges for the parents, teachers, school bus drivers and last but not the least staff at the school, canteen, and, of course, students. All have to gear themselves back to a new schedule and re-prioritise their work plan. 
As uniform-attired kids hop on to the yellow school buses or in the back seat of their parents' car, it's traffic snarls too back on the road. So is the case with parents who have to plan a new payment of tuition fee, purchase of other accessories, uniforms, shoes and a lot more to not only keep their kids happy but also to meet the expectations all around. 
This is why the least that is expected of kids is to study well and make their teachers, schools and parents proud of their achievements. It's time for students to take a new resolve and triumph in flying colours.
"Going back to school means a lot of things have to change. In vacations, children get used to sleeping and doing things in their time. Now, when school starts, priorities change, and so does schedule. For my kids, going to school after the summer break is very exciting as they get a new set of school supplies," observed Moeen Hasan, parent of Sumaiya and Aeliya, who is himself a civil engineer. 
Likewise, Vahid Ali, father of Arwa and Rafiyah said, "Managing time between dropping my daughters to school and getting back to work, and then picking them late afternoon is no less than a challenge."
So is the case with teachers who put in their extended hours to make sure that after imparting tuition in class, they have to address other chores such as checking homework, writing notes on dairies, and then pre-plan syllabus, and much more. Teachers give in their best and are often under recognised. Students and parents should see the other side of the teachers' life as well as they cope with multiple challenges at work and home.
"The point is that teachers are not well paid, and keeping in view the efforts that come in from the teaching staff, they need to be recognised properly," remarked Anita D'Souza, who teaches at a private school in Sharjah. 
And then with school schedule back in swing, there are many more people who put in their best and nonetheless remain off the screen. They are the sanitary and canteen staff, as well as the drivers and attendants of school buses. 
"Earlier, we had the facility of taking a break inside school premises after dropping students, but under the new law, we have to stay away from premises, which is quite toiling," says Ahmed Abbas, a bus driver at a Qusais school. He and his colleagues say, in summer it is quite a challenging job. 
A word or two on the quality of education in the UAE would suffice, as schools reopen after the summer recess. As the UAE is home to millions of expatriate families, the country has a competitive education module at work. The UAE's education sector is one of the fastest growing in the region, and it brings with it immense opportunities of business and advertising for sectors that offer services and products in this realm. 
Likewise, the UAE is ranked 13th for quality primary education in the 2015-2016 Global Competitiveness report. Thousands of firms and industries that produce, import or supply textbooks, copies, book-covers, bookmarks, calculators, erasers, pencils, pouches, pencil sharpeners, school bags, tiffin boxes, water bottles, lanyards, rulers, protractors and other stationery, and uniform and shoes, have a roaring business in the UAE. With the dawn of technology, iPads and other laptop-cum-computer accessories are also in high demand, as schools go hi-tech. They become a necessity in this modern age of learning and online research.
mehkri@khaleejtimes.com

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