School timings will be shortened during Ramadan season. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has unified the school timings and has instructed to cut them to five hours.
“Schools should ensure that the total duration for students do not exceed five hours per day” said Mohammed Darwish (Regulations & Permits Comission Chief) at KHDA.
He added ” The school day during Ramadan will start between 8:00 am to 8:30 am and finish between 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm with shorter breaks as required.”
Related Post: Ramadan in the UAE: Schedule and Guidelines
A KHDA official said that it was difficult to establish a unified school timing as Dubai have different curricula. Nonetheless, a final decision was made on the school timing with the help of parents and principals making sure that the Muslim students are fully provisioned so they can meet their academic attainment while fasting.
Additionally, these schools have been informed to exclude physical excercise (PE) or any form of physical activities to those students who fast. These students are also forbidden to go out due to exposure from heat that may cause exhaustion and dehydration.
There are private areas in the school where students, staff and parents go to eat and drink. The school can also plan for informative activities about the practices of Ramadan for the students, staff and parents to raise awareness and to know how it impacts the society.
The start of the Ramadan season will be during the first week of June and this is a religious celebration where Muslims practice fasting.
Other News Sources:
- Emirates 24/7 – http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/ramadan-timings-for-dubai-schools-2016-05-11-1.629730
- GulfNews – http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/education/schools-to-cut-timings-during-ramadan-1.1823742
- The National – http://www.thenational.ae/uae/revised-ramadan-hours-for-dubai-schools