Parents in Dubai have supported the plan for schools to end all distance learning in October.
They said it was important for children to return to school as they were missing interaction with classmates and teachers, which was affecting their social skills.
But a few families in the emirate told The National they had questions about how schools would manage a safe return for pupils in October.
All pupils at Dubai's private schools must return to classrooms on October 3, the Dubai Government Media Office announced this week.
Maddy Apostol, 36, a home maker, said she would ensure her nine-year-old daughter was vaccinated before returning to in-person learning.
“I am happy that all children have been allowed to go to school for face-to-face learning but I am worried," Ms Apostol said.
“Last year, I knew most of the parents had chosen distance learning. With 100 per cent pupils back, we are getting our daughter vaccinated tomorrow."
Ms Apostol expects her daughter to receive the Sinopharm vaccine.
A third-year pupil at a private school, the child studied remotely last year but will go back to in-person classes on Sunday.
“I feel confident sending her back to school now as so many people in the country are vaccinated including all the staff at the school” Ms Apostol said.
She was concerned because she did not yet know how many pupils would be in her daughter's class.
School vehicles can run at full capacity, as long as they are ventilated and cleaned after journeys, according to the new protocols.
Last year, capacity for school buses was capped at 50 per cent.
Ms Apostol said she was considering transport alternatives for her daughter.
She said she was being cautious as her daughter had been infected with the coronavirus in March.
Despite this, she said was happy to send her daughter back to in-person classes.
Ms Apostol said her child would go to school for three days a week and then study from home on the other two during the first five weeks of the new term.
“I see the impact of having no interaction with peers on my child," she said.
“There was no social connection and her behaviour changed especially when it came to talking to people.
“Being at home most of the time in front of a screen, she would rather use her iPad or play games than talk to people.”
Health authorities said 96 per cent of Dubai's private schoolteachers had been vaccinated, and 70 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 received coronavirus shots.
Nisha Kumar, an Indian psychiatrist and mother of one in Dubai, said on-site learning was important for children.
Her five-year-old son, who goes to Deira International School, returned to in-person classes last year.
“Being around grown-ups is not enough. My son needs to be around and play with someone his age so that they can explore things together," Ms Kumar said.
“I can be his mother and his teacher but I don’t have the professional qualification to be one. I can only teach him what the teacher tells me to.
“I thought his handwriting was not OK but the teacher said he was doing a great job. Even if I correct him, I may do it the wrong way."
At the end of last term, just 52 per cent of private school pupils in Dubai were in classrooms, and the rest opted to study from home.
The mother said children should be in schools.
“If I am taking him to the mall and the play areas, so why not school?”
“This [the pandemic] is not going to go away in the next year or so."
While taking precautions, she encouraged parents to send their children to school.
Ola Uwaezu, 32, a home maker and mother of two girls aged 4 and 6, said she supported the plan to get all pupils back to school.
“I am for it 100 per cent. My daughters were attending classes in person last year," Ms Uwaezu said.
It was important for pupils to meet their friends, she said.
"I was apprehensive initially but the schools followed all the protocols," Ms Uwaezu said.
"My younger daughter was in nursery, where protocols were very stringent."
She said her children were placed in bubbles at school and there was no mixing, so she felt they were safe.
"I would not get my children vaccinated at this age," she said.
She has been trying to ensure her children do not develop social anxiety by taking them out for walks and having conversations with them about the virus.
Heads of schools welcomed the plan to begin in-person classes in October.
Simon Crane, the headmaster at Brighton College Dubai, said even innovative online learning could not replicate human-to-human connection.
"When you have a screen and technology there are natural barriers to learning," he said.
"Yes you might be able to teach some academics, but the social and emotional development of pupils, you can only really achieve that by having human connection."
Shiny Davison, academic director at Gulf Model School, said some parents were concerned about a full return.
For the first five weeks of the term, the school will follow a blended learning model.
"All pupils will come back in October and we know this has to happen. There is reluctance from some parents. I cannot deny that," she said.
"We are already getting phone calls and emails from parents.
"There are some parents who visited the school to talk to us about this."
"We are trying to explain to them that there is a sanitisation programme at the school, and teachers have been vaccinated.
"I think we can resolve these issues and come back to a full opening of schools."
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
AIDA%20RETURNS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAida%20Abboud%2C%20Carol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5.%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
Quick%20facts
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