Some private schools in Ras Al Khaimah following foreign curriculums have given students and staff an extended Eid al-Fitr holiday, starting today, May 9, until Thursday, with classes to resume on Sunday, May 16.
According to Emarat Al Youm, the decision was made after schools noticed students were repeatedly absent from classes as a result of staying up late during the month of Ramadan.
Schools sent messages through WhatsApp groups to students’ families, stating that they were granting students the start of the week off which, combined with the official holidays, would extend the Eid break to seven days in all.
Officials in private schools with American and British curriculums said that they had observed cases of absenteeism in students since the start of Ramadan; some were sleeping during remote lessons, while others were unable to interact well with teachers due to late nights spent with families during this time.
They further explained that schools expected to witness the absence of students before the Eid Al-Fitr holidays began too. Taking these circumstances into account, the decision was made to give them the additional days off.
The holiday aims to give students and their families some extra time to rest physically and psychologically during the last week of Ramadan and to return to school well-rested and more prepared for evaluation exams during the third semester, they said.
Officials added that schools also cancelled homework during Ramadan, and replaced them with educational and entertainment activities, to reduce the burden on families during the fasting period.
They also provided recorded lessons to students who missed class to help them catch up with their lessons later.
© Khaleej Times
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