Diwali in UAE: 4-day long weekend announced for some school students

Some schools in Dubai have announced a welcome long weekend for students on the occasion of Diwali.

Classes will not be held on Wednesday and Thursday this week, the schools said. Combined with the weekend, that amounts to a welcome four-day leave.

“Well-being is the prime focus here,” said Zubair Ahmed, head of operations at Springdales School, which has announced a four-day long weekend for Diwali.

Elaborating on the importance of the move, he said, “We have all had very tough times recently. The government started the trend of the long weekend so that families could spend quality time with each other and it is a strategic alliance with well-being goals.”

Zubair highlighted how several destinations tend to be booked out on the weekends. Giving students an extra couple of days off would facilitate their visits to such places, which would, in turn, contribute to happier environments.

“Since we are a CBSE school, it is important for us to celebrate the culture of India. As children don’t get the chance to see the celebrations in India, we wish to help them understand the culture and the country, irrespective of religion and background,” Zubair added.

Dubai's Global International School has also extended the weekend for its students on the occasion. School principal Antony Koshy said: “Diwali is the festival of lights. Spiritually, it symbolises the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance."

Marking the festival is also symbolic given that the "past 18 months have been a battle for all of us”, he added. “In the UAE, we have a global community and people from all backgrounds and nationalities are happy to be a part of any celebration."

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com