When the school calendar is governed by the moon

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UAE school calendar governed by moon
What a start to the school year it was today! A day earlier than expected thanks to the vagaries of the UAE school calendar – and much to the kids’ dismay (hehe). I’ll explain.  On Thursday last week, everyone in Dubai knew there was a holiday coming up – Hijri New Year (Islamic New Year). The exact day of the holiday was subject to the sighting of the moon, however. And for several weeks it was thought that the first day of the working week (Sunday in the Middle East) would be called as the holiday.  On Thursday evening, office workers left in high spirits, fairly sure there was a three-day weekend ahead. The mood was tainted slightly by the office-wide email stating that we were all to keep an eye on our email over the weekend. The bosses still had to confirm whether Sunday was a holiday and, if not, it would be business as usual with normal office hours. But to be honest we all thought the holiday was in the bag (somewhat difficult to plan though, just in case). Anyway, you’ve guessed what’s coming… the Moon Sighting Committee spotted a crescent moon on Friday night. Saturday was called as the holiday. And Sunday was to be back to work as usual. The hoped-for day off work wasn’t going to happen. Sigh! But the real surprise was yet to come. Schools were due back on Monday 2nd, until the KHDA, the authority in charge of all Dubai schools, tweeted:
And so at 9am on Saturday, our school (and also other Dubai schools but not all) announced that the first day of term would be – surprise, surprise – the next day, and not the date originally on the calendar. You can imagine the furore that ensued!   Responses from baffled parents ranged from “But we’re not ready”, “We had plans”, “We’re not even back in Dubai yet” to “Well, they’ve been off long enough”, “D is excited – he’s had enough of me”, “G is just desperate to see his mates” to “Gotta love the UAE school calendar”. As for my own children, they didn’t even believe me. Son1 stared at me as though I’d just told him we were having boiled brain for dinner. Then he blinked, once, twice, like a badger caught in the sunlight and said, “You’re joking right?” “Nope,” I replied, deadpan. “Look …” I showed him the email, my nose twitching in an attempt not to laugh. A slow realisation dawned on Son1’s face, and I might have let out a sound that was half-snort, half-chortle. I felt a little bit sorry for them – but, honestly, not that much! Two months off was plenty for my noisy – and, by the end of the holiday, totally bored – duelling duo. Happy back to school kiddos! #SeeYa
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