Thousands of private school teachers have undergone Covid-19 tests ahead of pupils returning to classrooms on Sunday.
In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) is paying for all tests, a total of more than 15,000 teachers and staff, promising that all 205 private schools in the emirate will be tested before pupils return to the classroom.
Annahita Pagdiwalla, principal of the capital's Mayoor Private School, in Al Wathba, said 200 of her staff underwent the PCR nasal swab.
“It will be up to Adek and the Department of Health to decide how frequent the tests are,” she added.
Tests are very important because it gives us a sense of satisfaction that we will be ready for pupils returning on Sunday
In the capital, primary-age pupils will be back in class from Sunday, with over-12s back in high schools in four weeks' time. Parents have the option to keep their children at home studying via e-learning if they do not feel comfortable sending them back yet.
Ms Pagdiwalla hopes parents feel reassured with the measures being taken.
“The tests are very important because it gives us a sense of satisfaction that we will be ready for pupils returning on Sunday," she said.
“We have done everything we can to be compliant with the rules about reopening classrooms.”
Schools have remained closed to pupils since March and strict restrictions will be in place when pupils return, including the wearing of masks at all times.
Brendan Fulton, executive principal at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, said 1,300 members of staff at the group that owns his school, Taaleem Education, underwent tests this week.
“This had been planned for since last week, and prior to the announcement by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) that all staff now need to be tested before students can return to school,” said Mr Fulton.
“The response from our parent community has been very positive, as they appreciate the lengths to which we are going to ensure that the school is as safe a space as possible when the children return on Sunday.”
Staff at Gems Education, the country's largest private school operator, is screening thousands of teachers and staff.
“The safety of our students and our school community is at the forefront of every decision that we make,” said Gems Wellington Primary School, Dubai, principal Sarah O’Reagan.
“All Gems Education school staff will be Covid-19 PCR tested prior to the first day of school.
“This further layer of safety gives our parents and school community reassurance that it is safe for children to return to school.”
Thermal screenings at entrances, face masks and physical distancing will be mandatory measures when students return.
How children will return to school varies from emirate to emirate, as does testing for pupils.
In Sharjah, pupils of all ages are to be tested over the next two weeks. Pupils will not be physically back in class until mid-September while this is carried out, with e-learning in place until then.
In Abu Dhabi, primary school pupils are back from Sunday and are not required to be tested. High school pupils will not return until late September or early October, and they are required to get tested if over 12.
In Dubai, pupils are not required to be tested, the authorities said this week.
Parents can still opt to keep their children at home to take online lessons in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with many concerned about the risks involved in returning to classrooms.
The%20specs
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)
Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.
Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.
Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.
Get your priorities right.
And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
