Schools across the UAE are celebrating the country’s National Day with great enthusiasm, organising events and even inviting students’ families to participate.
Government organisations have been visiting schools, teaching children about the importance of sustainability. Most recently, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) visited a Dubai school sharing valuable information with students on environmental conservation.
Sangita Chima, Amity School Dubai Principal says, “Our week-long National Day celebrations started last week with a fun and informative collaboration with Dewa. The Dewa team, along with their mascots, visited classes, distributed UAE flags and pins, and shared some important lessons with students on sustainability and conservation.”
She adds, “From collages, word games and puzzles covering UAE’s national symbols and colours, to poster-making, poems and National Day quizzes, we are celebrating the glory and grandeur of the UAE. Creative art in the colours of red, green, white and black adorn our corridors and classrooms. Students have also been working hard on creating a life-size flag made of paper roses. This will be displayed in the school on the National Day.”
Meanwhile, post Covid, many schools are going big with their celebrations this year, even inviting parents to be a part of the school festivities.
Neal Oates, Principal, Star International School, Mirdif opines, “In our school, we proudly celebrate UAE National Day in a big way. Every year we come together as a school community to mark this day, but we have not been able to invite our whole community to the event for a few years. This year our PTA, the ‘Friends of Star Mirdif’, have collectively planned a showcase event for our school community.”
Gillian Hammond, Principal, Repton Al Barsha said, “Our students enjoyed VR tours of the 7 Emirates which allowed them real immersion into the unique characteristics and heritage of each Emirate in this great nation.”
“They also experienced a wonderful Dog show by the Dubai Police and their K9 unit, camel rides, meeting a falcon, henna, and of course we all loved the Emirati food!” she added.
We completed our celebrations by sitting in the shape of the number 51 and taking an amazing photo from the roof. This will be displayed in our Reception area for all to see.”
Holy Quran recitations and school parades
Oates adds, “We will have Holy Quran recitations and a whole school parade with UAE dancing and singing. We will also have traditional local experiences for children with camel rides, falcons, and the ability to see many other animals found in the UAE. Alongside this will be live cooking stations showing off the best Emirati cuisine and traditions. And the day will also have various learning experiences for children within the classroom, celebrating Emirati and local culture. The event is a way to not only celebrate the great visionaries who formed the Emirates but is a chance to also celebrate how this country was able to come together to handle the global pandemic in an inspiring way.”
Head teachers aver schools are gearing up, and students are preparing with a lot of gaiety for these annual celebrations. Pupils are carefully choosing colours and themes, expressing everything from courage to hope, peace, unity and diversity, manifesting the vision of the country and what it represents.
Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO- Principal, Credence High School says, “National Day is celebrated with great fervour in our school. The celebrations will start tomorrow (29th November) with our sports day linked to the theme. The UAE is a land of diverse cultures, and our sports day will witness drills based on some of the famous dance forms of different countries of the world. Following that, on 30 November an in-house carnival is being organized where the parents will set up food, games and handicraft stalls. Students and staff will enjoy Emirati music, food, henna and handicrafts. Everyone will be dressed in UAE Flag colours while expressing their love and appreciation for the country. Alongside class, activities have been planned across all grades to educate and engage the students in knowing more about the significance of the day.”
© Khaleej Times
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