Families are preparing to navigate childcare arrangements and the silver lining of a traffic-free start to the day in preparation for online school
As the Eid holiday comes to a close, many parents in the UAE are preparing for their children to start online schooling on Monday. While some are taking time off work to assist their children, others are looking forward to a little extra rest before the new school routine begins.
For Dubai resident Aliya Saleem, Monday will be a day off to help her six-year-old son adjust to online lessons. “My son is six years old and is in Year 2,” she said. “He has never had experience with online schooling, and I think it will be a little hard to get a primary school student to focus during online lessons. He only had an iPad which he uses to play on. So last week we went shopping for a laptop for him to do classes on.”
Even with her presence, keeping her son engaged is proving difficult. “Even while he is sitting with me, he wants to play all the time,” she said. “I have no hope of him doing online schooling independently. For the time being, I have asked my sister if she can look after him while I work. It is going to be hard because her child will also be doing online school. For a long-term solution, I may have to hire a governess.”
Schools in the UAE will switch to online learning for two weeks, starting Monday due to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war. Classes had initially shifted online on March 2, following Iran’s attacks on Gulf states, including the UAE. The measure was extended until Friday, March 6, before authorities announced the early spring break. This year, schools had their spring break from March 9 to March 22.
For Dubai resident Sabeena Jizam, managing three children presents its own challenges. Her eldest daughter, Diya Mariam, is finishing her final university semester, while her youngest, Duaa Mariam, will attend Year 2. “I think it will be very hard to get my younger one to focus,” she said. “I don’t have work-from-home option so my older children will have to step in to help their younger sister.”
Her son, Muhammed Fadil, in Class 10, recently had his board exams cancelled. “He won’t be having classes for a few days so I think he should be able to help her,” she said. “I am just praying that the war ends soon, and peace is restored in the region.”
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced the continuation of distance learning for students at all higher education institutions nationwide for two weeks following the spring break. Diya said that she hoped her university graduation would go ahead as planned. “A lot of my high school happened online and I missed out on many experiences because of it,” she said. “I hope the same doesn’t happen for my university graduation.”
For Abu Dhabi resident Nimmi, her son Imran will continue Year 4 at a British-syllabus school. She said she was waiting to see if she should upgrade her internet or buy new devices. “He started school as a blended learner at the tail end of the pandemic,” she said. “So, he has never had to do online learning. It is new to both of us. We will see how the first few days go and then take a call on whether we need new devices or not.”
She said that although she was disappointed that Imran would miss out on in-person interactions, she was looking forward to being able to sleep in for some extra time. “I will absolutely not miss the morning traffic and the rush to get my son out of the house on time,” she said. “For now, I am focusing on the positive of the situation and hoping that this situation ends soon.”
© Khaleej Times
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