Rain in Dubai: Working parents become teachers for a day as children’s classes move online – News

Syrian expatriate Amin Taleb was ready to drop his children Aina and Amaan at school and head to his office for a half-day of meetings on Friday, but plans had to change. His children’s school decided to switch to online classes due to the rainy weather.

“I told my wife that one of us had to stay home with the children. But even before making the decision, we received the good news that we too would work from home,” said Amin, a Dubai resident who works as business development manager at a supermarket chain.

The family was lucky to avoid traffic jams and rain-soaked roads that disrupted many residents’ morning routines on Friday.

However, the sudden shift to online classes, even if for the safety of young people, required working parents to make necessary adjustments.

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Syed Sajjad Mastan, a businessman from Deira, had to cancel his weekly meeting to be with his daughter for online classes.

“When I woke up for Fajr, it started to rain and I understood that I had to postpone or cancel today’s meeting with my employees because I expected flooding near my office,” Mastan said.

“Because I didn’t have to go to the office, I was able to help my daughter. Then I was able to do her meeting virtually.”

Dubai-based Ms Sahany suddenly became her six-year-old son’s teacher for a day during virtual classes.

“It was a challenge, but we did it, somehow. I don’t think it’s my nature to be a teacher,” she said.

“It was a challenge, but we did it. When I tried to explain the verb kick to him, I inadvertently kicked him,” he joked.

Shreya Chakravarty, whose son goes to DIA Emirates Hills, was saved from such a challenge when the school decided to declare a holiday.

“I think it’s the best for the students. My husband is traveling this week but luckily for me it’s a day off. The school has announced online learning, but a seven-year-old child finds it difficult to navigate the various school apps independently,” Chakravarty said.

These last-minute changes are understandable, he added, as student safety must always come first. “The schools had a special fair today and most of the children were looking forward to it. But those things can be left for later. Safety is paramount for students.”

Andre’s father Ryan Sabido, an eighth grade student at Apple International School, said: “The good thing about Dubai is that students can easily transition from in-person learning to distance learning thanks to technology and the school’s readiness to adapt to the situation.”

Filipino expat Ben Lebig said that although remote learning was announced for his daughter, it didn’t make much of a difference to her routine. After all, schools close early on Fridays.

“It may be a little difficult for working parents, but it’s only a matter of one day and safety is always a priority. “Schools close early on Fridays anyway, so most parents expect their children to be home by 1:00 pm. So I don’t think it has made much of a difference to the existing routine.”

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