Sharjah, September 24: Most public schools in the country had half-empty classrooms on the first day of the new academic year on Wednesday, with authorities attributing the low turnout to parents extending the Eid break and confusion over the start date.
Schools following the Ministry of Education curriculum were due to begin the new year immediately after Eid but some had alerted parents via SMS that opening day activities would be held on September 27. The government had decided to include the holy month of Ramadan in the vacation period for the next three years.
Education providers said they expect a rise in attendance next week, ruling out fears of a swine flu outbreak as a reason for absenteeism.
Schools say they are equipped to combat any H1N1 outbreak and will monitor students on campus.
Many students took their own precautions on Wednesday, wearing masks to class.
Fawziyya Hassan, the director of the Sharjah Education Zone, said classes at all schools had been scheduled to resume on Wednesday and blamed the low numbers on incorrect information conveyed to parents. She said a circular distributed to all schools on the opening date had been misinterpreted.
Schools in Sharjah expected more than 145,876 students to return this week, but more than 50 per cent had not turned up.
Bus drivers of the Al Qasimiyya School in Sharjah had been asked to pick students up from next week, after being told schools would open on Sunday.
The Al Shorouq Private School had also informed parents of the delayed start date.
At the Al Ahmadeyah Primary School in Dubai, principal Essa Al Merry said the day had been set aside to inform students and parents about the year ahead but the turnout was low.
“Very few students came in today and the reason could be Eid,” he said.
Administrators in Abu Dhabi said the low attendance was because parents had decided to extend the Eid break.
Only 70 per cent out of the 475 enrolled students at the Umme Ammar Secondary School for Girls in Abu Dhabi attended classes on the first day. “Some of our students are from Ajman and Dubai and they don’t want to come back now. They will only come on Saturday,” said principal Ameena Al Majed.
Obaid Al Qawood, director of the Umm Al Quwain education zone, said only a handful of students turned up.
Most private international schools opened in the first week of September but at least one in Abu Dhabi and three in Sharjah were asked to close after cases of H1N1 were reported. While most have resumed classes, some have decided to open only next week.
–Agencies–