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Some UAE private schools may start on time.
by Neeraj Gangal on Saturday, 04 July 2009
The UAE education ministry has clarified that only the private schools that follow its curriculum will be required to delay the start of the school year until after Ramadan.
These private schools will join the government schools, where classes for the academic year 2009-2010 have been postponed until after the holy month of Ramadan the ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
The National daily reported that the education ministry has clarified that it would send a circular to state schools and relevant private schools announcing that teachers would be expected to report on September 13.
Schools will begin on September 23; administrative and teaching staff must report on September 13.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said private schools following international curriculums could start the school year as they saw fit, The National said.
The daily quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying:
“The ministry may hold meetings with principals of private schools and discuss the details of the new academic year with them, but really, the choice is left up to them. In fact, some private schools have already made the decision earlier not to start the school year until after Ramadan, so this is something that has been considered by all in the education field.”
The ministry did not make an announcement on when the school year would be expected to end.
Ahead of the announcement His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had posted a question up on his Facebook page, seeking public input on whether the school year should begin after Eid. The majority of parents and pupils preferred the term start after Eid.