By Khaleej Times

Yellow school buses took over Dubai’s roads on Monday morning, as students returned to their schools after a two-month summer break.

Students were seen chatting and beaming while deboarding their school buses with many younger kids being accompanied by their parents who had come to drop their children to school.

While some schools have organized staggered entry over two days for different year groups, others witnessed more or less full attendance on the day of the new academic year/term.

Meanwhile, pupils were welcomed back to schools on Sunday amid much enthusiasm in the new academic session.

Some schools went out of their way to make returning students feel comfortable. Not only did they put up banners and streamers, one school welcomed kids back with a flash mob.

Most schools are organizing induction/ orientation programmes that will keep pupils busy during the first half of the day ahead of their in-classroom lessons.

The mood on the school campuses is euphoric, as pupils, including new entrants, greeted their friends, peers and teachers with visible enthusiasm after the long vacation.

No PCR requirement for students in Dubai

Earlier, Dubai’s education regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), private school students in Dubai do not require producing a PCR negative test upon returning to school after the two-month long summer break.

The circular sent to schools last week stipulated that Covid-19 patients (students) must be isolated for ten days while social distancing rules and face masks in indoor areas continue to be mandatory.

Moreover, pupils and staff in close contact with an individual infected with the coronavirus who have no symptoms do not need to be isolated and can attend school.