DUBAI - Examinations of students from Grade Four to Grade 12 following the UAE national curriculum will begin two hours later than the usual time to avoid delays and traffic due to the expected foggy conditions this week.
The decision applies to all first semester exams beginning on Monday (December 29).
The announcement, made on Saturday by the School Agency under Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), follows a circular issued by the Ministry of Education on Thursday in this regard.
The circular said that the exams for students of Grade Four to Grade 12 would start at 10am instead of 8am.
An emergency committee set up by the School Agency on Thursday garnered the opinion of school management from 42 of 65 schools and external study centres such as home schools, before taking the decision. Taha Al Hamri, Director of the Administrative Services Unit at the School Agency, headed the committee.
The School Agency has sent text messages to all schools regarding the change of exam timings, and advised them to notify parents about the same.
However, the education zones expressed their concern that enough time had not been given to them to inform the parents about the change in timings. With more than 60,000 students of Grade 12 alone, some of the education zones have been text messaging and notifying students since Thursday.
Ayesha Al Merri, Director of Assessment Department at the Ministry, told Khaleej Times that Thursday’s circular had been issued in the interest of students. “We expect it to be very foggy in the mornings and it could be dangerous for students to travel at that time,” Al Merri said.
In March this year, more than 350 cars were involved in a massive pile-up accident and hundreds injured on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway near Ghantoot. This was a result of heavy fog.
Meanwhile, visibility came down late Saturday night, according to a Dubai Meteorological Office duty forecaster and he predicted thick fog on Sunday morning.
Motorists were warned to take special care on stretches of inland roads such as the Dubai-Al Ain highway where visibility could be even lower than 200m.
The West to Northwesterly shamal winds were expected to strengthen Sunday.
news@khaleejtimes.com