As heavy rains and thunderstorms swept across all seven Emirates, many schools in Dubai made a swift transition to online classes on Friday. Lightning illuminated the dawn sky, accompanied by thunder and high-speed winds, prompting school administrators to inform parents via email about the shift to distance learning.
In an email to parents, one school stated, “Due to inclement weather conditions, all lessons will be conducted via Zoom for today. Students who have already boarded the bus will be dropped back home.” Another school principal apologized for the abrupt change, attributing it to the “rapidly worsening weather conditions” and emphasizing safety as the top priority.
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Concerns for students’ safety during travel to campus led another school principal to suspend in-person classes. Parents, in response, quickly adjusted plans to keep their children at home for the day. Some were relieved by the decision, while others faced challenges in deciding whether to send their children to school, especially with exams scheduled.
For one parent, Caroline, the last-minute decision relieved her from the dilemma of sending her daughter to school amid challenging weather conditions. Another parent, Tayyaba, had proactively opted to keep her children at home due to past experiences with transportation difficulties during heavy rains.
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Anticipating the adverse weather, authorities in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Ras Al Khaimah had directed schools to switch to distance learning for the day. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) reported heavy downpours across various areas in all seven Emirates, prompting code orange and yellow alerts for hazardous weather conditions.
