Khaberni - Teachers and administrators in public and private schools in the UAE confirmed that the school calendar during Ramadan considers including semester breaks within the month to ease student strain and avoid frequent interruptions of school, as it includes 12 days of vacation, in addition to four days of very reduced or remote work hours (Fridays).
They mentioned that Ramadan (which starts on either the 18th or 19th of February) will include six weekend holidays, and the last six days of the month will be part of the second semester break (spring break), in addition to the remaining school days including eight specific days for the second semester exams, meaning the actual teaching days will not exceed eight.
In detail, the Ramadan school schedule includes 12 days of weekly leave (the 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th, and 19th) and from the 25th to the 30th of Ramadan as the spring break, in addition to Fridays (the 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th), where a very reduced school day is applied, ranging from 90 to 150 minutes, or remote learning is implemented according to approvals granted to each school. The school days from the 15th to the 24th of Ramadan are dedicated to final school evaluations applied across all educational stages during the second semester of the current academic year.
Teachers Hisham Rifaat, Islam Samir, Noujan Elias, Reem Mokhtar, and Afaf Dewey mentioned the presence of a guide for school plans during Ramadan at the schools, which is a clear reference for organizing the school schedule, offering a time distribution that aligns with the specifics of the holy month and ensures the continuity of the educational process with quality and efficiency that meets the needs of students at various levels in public and private schools implementing the ministry curriculum, where it redistributes the time proportions for academic subjects, considering the uniqueness of each subject and the needs of each educational pathway, thus achieving a balance between the demands of the educational process and the students' needs during the holy month.
Teachers and administrators at public and private schools implementing the ministry curriculum, Marwan Al-Badawawi, Moaz Abdullah, Noura Bati, and Wafaa Radwan confirmed that schools anticipate the Ministry of Education repeating the "Ramadan with the Family" initiative every Friday to be a remote learning day for students, especially since this year is the year of the family, and the initiative aims to enhance family cohesion and instill the values of the holy month, focusing on developing students' basic skills.
They mentioned the ease of implementing the "Ramadan with the Family" initiative, as the ministry had previously prepared a guide for students and parents who wish to study remotely on Fridays during Ramadan to achieve the desired benefit from the decision, which includes detailed instructions on how to capitalize on Fridays in a way that reflects the values of the holy month, and includes cultural and religious activities from the curriculum that support the students in their educational and upbringing journey.
Private schools implementing the foreign curriculum, in messages seen by "Emirates Today", urged students' parents to ensure their children's regular attendance in school from the first day after the mid-second semester break, which will be from the upcoming Monday until February 15th, and not to plan for long vacations, especially since the first week of returning to study coincides with the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
School administrations urged students' parents to ensure their children's attendance at the designated times and not to encourage them to be absent, pointing out that lack of attendance, especially since an insufficient number of students in the classroom prevents the teacher from effectively delivering the curriculum.
They mentioned halting extracurricular activities and school canteen services during Ramadan, while water dispensers will continue to be available.
They urged the parents of non-fasting children to make sure their children are provided with a lunch meal when they come to school.
