Confusion surrounds school break for Eid Al Adha

Public and private school teachers say they were caught off guard with the recent changes to the academic calendar.

ABU DHABI // Public and private school teachers say they have had to scrap pre-booked holidays after changes to the Eid Al Adha days off.

Many school calendars, which are approved by the various education regulators and handed to teachers and staff at the start of the academic year, listed October 7 as a holiday.

But on Wednesday teachers were still being told by their principals that Tuesday is not a holiday, after the Government’s official announcement that the Eid break would be three days starting Friday.

A Grade 2 teacher at a government boys’ school said many had been forced to scrap pre-booked travel. “Many teachers were affected,” she said. “Many booked holidays under what we were told prior to yesterday.”

The Abu Dhabi Education Council, or Adec, urged all school staff to be at work on Tuesday morning.

But schools that had earlier been given approval to use the week as their mid-term break are exempt.

Aldar Academies said teachers had known the calendar could change.

“It is clearly communicated to all our staff that Islamic holidays are subject to change and teachers cannot take leave during the term,” said spokesman Ashley Dymoke.

“We expect all our teaching staff to be back in school on October 7.”

Mr Dymoke did not say what would happen to those who did not return on time.

A Canadian Year 3 teacher at an Abu Dhabi private school said attendance would probably be low next week as some pupils had said they would not be back on time.

“We’re already being informed by kids that they’re taking the whole week off,” she said.

Adec has told schools to report daily attendances for next week.

“The calendar was originally put out with the three days as a holiday,” the Canadian teacher said. “We thought, you know, that they’d probably give us the whole week.

“We didn’t get the whole week. We didn’t even get the three days, and now it’s cut back to two days.”

Gems Education is sticking with the dates in its academic calendar, which includes week-long breaks for some of its schools.

“All Gems schools have had their academic calendars approved by [Dubai’s] Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Adec or the Ministry of Education,” the company said.

“All of the academic calendars meet the teaching day requirements that have been set by the relevant education authority.”

A woman who is part-owner and principal of a primary school in Khalifa City B said teachers at her school were well aware that they were to return to work on Tuesday.

She said it was made clear at the start of the school year that holiday dates were subject to change, and that she had been told by all parents that their children would be in class on Tuesday.

Omar, an Emirati parent said: “Yes, I admit when there is a three-day holiday in the middle of the week I’ll almost always keep my children from going to school.

“But this is a really short holiday. There is not enough time to take them anywhere.”

N A, a Palestinian school teacher and parent, said: “I can’t keep my children from going to school. Not because I’m a teacher but because we are all going back to work on Tuesday. I can’t leave them home alone.”

She and her friends did not make plans because, after living in the UAE for the past five years, they know holiday dates were often determined at the last minute.

“We keep hoping that we get the whole week and sometimes we do, but there is also a chance that we don’t,” said N A. “So we don’t make big plans and try not to go far, mostly Dubai and the Northern Emirates.”

The KHDA, which oversees private schools in Dubai, said the schools under its regulation were required to stick with pre-approved calendar dates.

“The federal Government has announced the Eid break for Sunday and Monday,” said Mohammed Darwish, chief of regulations and permits.

“However, the holidays for some schools will differ, according to their pre-approved calendars. Changes to the school calendars regarding the Eid holidays are not being approved by KHDA.”

The holiday was officially announced on September 25 when it was stated that the public sector would resume on Tuesday, while private-sector workers would return the day before.