UAE's public schools reduce hours to beat the summer heat
Summer timings for UAE’s public schools have been announced by the Ministry of Education
June 10, 2019
Classes have been shortened and morning assemblies removed to reduce hours during the hot summer months for the country's government school pupils.
Public schools will have periods reduced to 40 minutes instead of the usual 45 minutes and pupils will be given three minutes to move from one class to the next.
The school day will be reduced by about an hour as a result of the changes.
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The summer timings, which came into effect on Sunday and will continue until July, were announced in a circular released by the Ministry of Education.
Children in kindergarten will start school at 8am and finish at 11.45 am, while teachers will be in school until 1pm.
Boys in primary school will start the day at 7.15am and will finish the last lesson of the day at 12.37pm whereas those in secondary school will start at 7.15am and finish at 1.20pm.
Girls in primary school will start their day at eight am and finish at 1.22 pm whereas those in secondary school will start at eight am and finish at 2.05pm
Temperatures traditionally soar during the summer months in the UAE, regularly exceeding 40°C.
وزارة التربية والتعليم تطبق الدوام الصيفي لجميع مدارس الدولة ابتداءً من يوم غد الأحد الموافق 9 يونيو 2019. pic.twitter.com/hfLvWNKpp2
— وزارة التربية (@MOEducationUAE) June 8, 2019
The UAE government has taken action in recent years to mitigate the impact of the searing summer heat on members of the public.
As well as reducing school hours, a midday break for labourers exposed to intense sunlight for many hours was introduced in 2004.
The break requires outdoor workers to down tools from 12.30pm to 3pm each day during the summer, from June 15 to September 15.
In 2010, the break was extended from two months to three.
Updated: June 10, 2019 01:41 PM
