School Holidays Clarified With 'Flexibility'.

passport stamps from the UAE. Entry via Dubai, exit via Abu Dhabi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As predicted in my previous post, we now have 'clarity' on the school holidays ruling, at least in Dubai.

Today's papers carry the news that Dubai's elegantly named educational regulator, the Knowledge and Human Develpment Authority or KHDA, has clarified its stance on the unified holiday previously announced by the Abu Dhabi based Ministry of Education. That announcement, the clarity of which was discussed here, meant international schools in the UAE would have been forced to follow the same holidays as the UAE's government schools. This was not particularly workable, not least because international schools have different exam dates, curricula and, in the case of Indian schools, even school years.

Of course, consulting the schools themselves before announcing draconian changes would have perhaps saved some time and effort (other Emirates still await clarity, let us not forget - the KHDA regulates Dubai alone), but would have far less entertainment value.

To sum up the KHDA's 'clarification'? "Ignore the previous announcement".

Right. Thanks for that. Moving on...