Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has issued an urgent clarification on reports that schools would have to close early at the end of the Summer Term after a news website reported all term dates were to be brought forward to June 26th.
In response to the publication’s post on Twitter, the Dubai regulator of schools wrote:
“Not the case”.
Subsequently the KHDA has confirmed for all worried parents and schools that they should “refer to their school’s approved academic calendar for details on the end of the academic year” to know exactly when the term finishes at their school.
The KHDA has confirmed that it has absolutely not issued instructions for schools to change their agreed dates of breaking up for the Summer holidays and parents and schools should ignore all information to the contrary.
A small number of schools have an approved calendar that does allow the break for the Summer holidays to begin on the 26th of June, but these are the exception. They will stand as agreed by the KHDA. For most schools, however, the earliest permissible date for schools to close is the 28th June and many schools are, in fact, breaking up for the Summer holidays in the following week. The officially published calendar of schools, which is signed off by the KHDA, is definitive.
The statement was issued after the story caused confusion and parents and schools to question whether it was now mandated that all schools must close early on the 26th June. Many parents were seeking to alter flights as a result – and schools were concerned at meeting the minimum thresholds for teaching. Many parents were also facing significant issues with work and childcare arrangements. The KHDA confirmed to SchoolsCompared that there was absolutely no truth in the story.
With the increasing disinformation on Social Media it is imperative that stories are fact checked.
The KHDA has further clarified that the “dates for Eid Al Adha holidays will be announced by the federal government.” Holidays are subject to Moon Sightings and cannot and must not ever be defined in advance of official clarification.
Worried parents and schools can access the official KHDA web site here.
© SchoolsCompared.com. A WhichMedia Group publication. 2023 – 2024. All rights reserved.
Leave a Response