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Diwali in UAE: Long weekend for students in some schools

Dubai - The festival of lights will be celebrated on Sunday, October 27.

School students across the UAE are set to enjoy a long weekend, with some schools announcing Diwali holidays on Sunday, October 27. This year, the celebrations are not limited to Indian curriculum schools, as a few international schools have also declared the day off for their student community.

Certain schools in Dubai are expected to be closed on Diwali, in line with their academic calendar submitted to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority at the start of the academic calendar, the authority said. A handful of Indian curriculum schools in Sharjah will also be closed for the Indian festival of lights, according to school teachers and parents. In Sharjah, the students will enjoy the Diwali holiday on Sunday, October 27 and schools will reopen on October 28.

Pranjala Dutta, the principal of Sabari Indian School, said the school will be closed on October 27 and 28 and will reopen on Tuesday, October 29. She told Khaleej Times: "There will be a small celebration on the school premises on Thursday, October 24, where students will be educated on the festival of lights during the school assembly."

Zubair Ahmed, head of operations and HR department Springdales School Dubai said: "We are closed on the October 27. Furthermore, the school students will set up a special Diwali corner, where we will have a special decoration using ethnic paraphernalia. A special staff lunch will be organised, and all the support staff in the school will be given a special treat on Thursday afternoon."

Families across emirates are excited to celebrate the upcoming holiday. Shivani Mehta, an accountant in Bur Dubai, said: "My kid's school has been giving a holiday for Diwali for several years now. It is very good because it allows us to celebrate together as a family." Roshan Prashant, a resident of Sharjah, said, "UAE has been our home for 23 years. Diwali celebrations here are now almost as grand as festivities in India."

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com