UAE families juggle travel and spring camps as pupils enjoy three-week Eid break

Most schoolchildren are on holiday from March 25 to April 15

Sanam Varma, her husband Kanishk Varma and their daughter are heading on a 10-day road trip. Photo: Sanam Varma

Pupils at many private schools in the UAE started a three-week holiday this week as the institutions chose to merge the Eid Al Fitr and spring breaks.

At most schools, spring break began on March 25 and will end on April 5, while the Eid holidays are expected to start on April 8, giving pupils an extra week off before returning on April 15.

Some schools have chosen to use April 8 for teacher training, while at Indian schools such as Credence High School in Dubai, pupils will return on April 1 to start the new academic year, before another break for Eid Al Fitr from April 6 to April 15.

It's a good time to take some time off and rest or reflect

Sanam Varma

Many families will be using the long break to travel.

Trisha Daya, a South African resident in Dubai, will be taking a 10-day holiday to Thailand and Singapore with her husband and daughters aged six and nine.

“I think it's just to give them a bit of a break. The weather should be good as well,” Ms Daya told The National.

“I think when it's anything that involves six or seven hours of travel, you know that you're going to need a couple of days to recover from jet lag so it's good to be able to just take two weeks or 10 days to fully enjoy the holiday.

“We are definitely happy that we have a longer break.”

She said her daughters were enjoying going to parks with other children during the break.

“I think a lot of people are travelling and going back home just to enjoy the time off,” she said.

“And I think many people are also fasting. So it's a good time to take some time off and rest or reflect.”

Sanam Varma, an Indian working in Dubai, will be driving down to Salalah in Oman for a 10-day road-trip with nine family members, including her husband and her seven-year-old daughter.

“This is our first trip after moving to the UAE from Australia in November. We finally feel very settled and it's the first long break here as well,” said Ms Varma.

“While a lot of people are taking flights, we thought of taking a road trip. We're really looking forward to it.”

Ms Varma said the drive would take between 12 and 13 hours.

However, some families are choosing to stay in the UAE and enrol children at spring camps and sports camps.

Ana Nasser, an Indian resident in Dubai, said she was looking for spring camps for her five-year-old daughter to attend, as she manages her time over the school holidays.

“I hope to leave my daughter at a spring camp while I am in the office,” said Ms Nasser.

“But these camps do not provide transport so she would have to be there for long hours. If transport was provided, my daughter could have come home and the nanny would have taken care of her.

“I have also booked annual leave as there was no other way I could manage childcare.”

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Ramadan cannons – in pictures

A cannon at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is fired to mark the end of the first day of fasting of the holy month this year. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

The mosque is expected to receive a large number of worshippers and visitors throughout Ramadan 1445

Cannon were fired across the Emirates to signify the start of the first iftar of Ramadan 1445

People gathered to watch the firing and take photos

A Ramadan cannon at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi