Several UAE schools send students back home due to rain

Top Stories

Several UAE schools send students back home due to rain
A school bus got stuck in the water-logged roads after hitting the footpath at King Abdul Aziz road during Mondy's heavy rain in Sharjah.

Dubai - The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) authorized private schools in Dubai to declare holidays.

By Sherouk Zakaria

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Sun 25 Nov 2018, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 27 Nov 2018, 7:27 PM

Several schools in Dubai and Sharjah sent students back to their homes or declared a half day as rain lashed out across the country on Monday morning, forcing the traffic to a standstill.
Authorities gave schools the decision to declare the day off as Sharjah and Ajman school buses drove students back home due to bad weather conditions and several private schools in Dubai announced closure or an early dismissal.
Parents received text messages and alerts from school administrators, informing them that buses were returning, while some parents who dropped their children off to school were sent back. Administrators also made their announcements on social media.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) authorized private schools in Dubai to declare holidays.
In a statement issued to Khaleej Times, Amal BelHasa, CEO of Knowledge and Human Development Policies at KHDA said "schools in Dubai are empowered to make weather-related closure decisions, keeping in view the interests of child safety." She confirmed that all decisions about school closures will be informed to parents.
An official at Sharjah Education Zone said public and private schools in the emirate have declared the day off based on the authority granted to them by the Ministry of Education and Education Authority in Sharjah "to take the necessary measures to ensure maximum safety of students amid difficult weather conditions that saw fog sandstorms , wind, rain, and flood."

A school principal told Khaleej times that some of the students who arrived at school premises were sent back home. "We informed the driver to drop them back home and notify their parents to receive them. Sharjah Education Council have granted us the power of authority to disable school due to climate conditions to ensure the safety of students which is considered our top priorities."
However, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Education told Khaleej Times that public schools across the country resumed their schedule normally, uninterrupted by the rain. The Ministry authorized school administrations to take the necessary procedures to ensure students' safety, while advising parents and pupils to follow safety rules in the rainy weather. 
"The safety and security of students and staff is a top priority," the spokesperson said. 
Delhi Private School in Sharjah sent alerts to parents informed them that "Due to bad weather the school will remain close today. The students who have been picked by buses will be sent back as soon as weather is clear."
Dubai British School announced its closure early morning "due to the challenging traveling conditions caused by the weather."

"If you have already dropped your children off, please don't worry as some staff are here and they can be collected at any time to suit," the school's message said.
Other schools declared an early drop off due to adverse weather conditions.
The Dubai Scholars Private School notified parents regarding the early pick-up timings for their kids: "Dear parents, own transport students to be picked at 12:55pm."
Another school in Dubai, JSS Private School, notified parents that there will be an "Early Dispersal at 11:30 am due to poor weather. Co-ordinate with the bus monitor. Today's Open House and after-school activity postponed."
Al Sadiq Islamic English School in Qusais issued an announcement to parents on early dismissal: "Due to bad weather the school will disperse at 11:40am. Students using own transport can be picked from school today at 11:45am onwards."
One school, Delhi Private School Dubai, had sent an alert to parents regarding the weather conditions, stating: "Alert! Due to unfavourable weather, the school will disperse at 11:00am today. Please collect your child accordingly. DPS Dubai."
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by ???? ??? ?????? - RAK POLICE (@rakpoliceghq) on
Gems Winchester Dubai informed parents of students that the school will shut early at 12:30pm.
"All bus students will leave at this time but due to wet roads may arrive later than expected. Own transport students can be collected from normal areas at 12:30pm. After 1pm, all students will be supervised in the primary ground floor classrooms. Please contact the class tutor and bus driver for any special arrangements."
The University of Sharjah has also declared that it will close its doors for Monday to classes, staff and administrators.
Schools in Ras Al Khaimah have also shut their doors due to adverse weather conditions.
The Police across the country advised motorists to follow the proper safety measures while driving in adverse weather conditions, including leaving safe distance between vehicles and staying away from hazardous mountain areas.
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
#Repost @sharjahnews ··· . #?????_??????? ???? ?????? ????. #?????????????? #???????? @usharjah
A post shared by ????? ??????? (@usharjah) on
They also warned adventure seekers and storm chasers to maintain caution and not risk their lives in an attempt to capture the novel weather phenomena taking place in the UAE.
 (With inputs from Afkar Abdullah)


More news from