Leaky roofs, late arrivals: How UAE rains impacted school operations

From leaky roofs being repaired in record time to some students missing class and others arriving late — schools in the UAE worked double-time on Thursday to ensure that the heavy rains did not affect learning.

Unstable weather conditions continued for the second day straight, with water ponds resulting in road closures and traffic jams.

Lisa Johnson, ​principal, American Academy for Girls, a Taaleem school, said the school community welcomed the rain, but it posed some challenges.

“Our biggest concerns have been from a facility standpoint. Leaks and drainage problems that are typically minor have become major issues in these conditions. We started our day with dripping water in several classrooms; but thankfully we were able to repair and clean up before students arrived. We had to also pay careful attention to safety issues such as wet floors and play areas that normally would not be a concern,” she told Khaleej Times.

Attendance was fairly normal, but the school registered a “slight increase” in absentees.

She said some teachers had to leave for work at 5am to make it on time. “Students arrived a bit later, but the punctuality rates did not hinder our daily schedule. I sent messages to staff and parents indicating that safety, not punctuality, was the priority.”

Considering the impact of the weather, she was “quite proud” of the determination of the school community.

Rob Commons, Principal, Uptown International, said students were kept indoors at break- and lunch-time. “While there has been some minor localised flooding in our outdoor areas, our cleaning team have worked throughout the night to ensure the buildings and classrooms remain safe and dry.

“We’ve adjusted some of our usual pedestrian routes inside the school grounds, and ensured that extra staff are on duty throughout the day to keep everyone safe, particularly at drop-off and pick-up times.”

The school registered a “higher than usual” number of late arrivals this morning due to the traffic conditions. “Students who arrived late (after registration) were directed to their normal lessons, and while we kept a log of their lateness for health and safety reasons, this will not be reflected on any of their report cards.

“Our school buses left the depot a few minutes early today as a precaution, but arrived at all of their collection points on time. They arrived at school around 15 minutes late, but this was due to unusual traffic build up on the main road approaching our school, which caused excessive queuing,” added Commons.

• UAE weather: Rains to continue with thunder, lightning today; temperature to drop further