Numerous parents throughout the UAE have been granted flexible work hours or the opportunity to work remotely as hundreds of thousands of students return to school this week. For some, this flexibility allowed them to create valuable memories with their children. Dubai resident Luis Carreno, for instance, accompanied his family to drop off his daughters at school in the morning. "My elder daughter Jamilah began Year 1 and my younger daughter Halime started Foundation Stage 2 today," he mentioned. "It was wonderful to be able to drive them to school and drop them off. The beginning of the school year is always thrilling."
The American expatriate, who works as a Jiu Jitsu coach at a government entity, expressed his gratitude for the time off. "My academy allowed me the morning off to drop the children at school," he said. "It provided me with a leisurely morning with the girls. I joined work in the afternoon, so my wife handled the pick-up on her own."
On Thursday, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) announced that government employees would be given flexible working hours to drop off their kids on Monday, and those with children in nursery and kindergarten could enjoy this flexibility for the entire week. Abu Dhabi resident Salam A., who works in a federal government entity, had the option to work from home the entire week. "Our company has granted employees with children in kindergarten the flexibility to work from home to coordinate school drop-offs," he said, speaking to Khaleej Times. "This has been extremely beneficial to me as my younger daughter starts school this year."
Salam enjoyed taking his 3-year-old daughter Ilham to school on Monday. "The first week, she has a staggered start," he explained. "So on Monday and Tuesday, she spends only an hour in school, and for the rest of the week, she goes for three hours. Since the first week is just about settling in, there is no bus service." On Monday, after school, he and his wife took Ilham to her favorite restaurant. "She was very happy, especially because she has a bag with her favorite cartoon character. The real challenge will start next week when she realizes she has to do this for several hours every day," he added.
The FAHR scheme will also apply to significant events throughout the school year, such as parent-teacher meetings and graduation ceremonies. The period of flexibility will not exceed three hours and can be taken at one time or divided into morning and evening periods. Executive admin Umm Saad, who works at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, said her department benefited from the policy. They were given a 'Happy 2 Hours Leave' which they could avail of at any time this week. "I was able to drop my 11-year-old son Saad on Monday without the stress of dealing with the usual back-to-school traffic and the rush that comes with it," she said. "The two hours made a significant difference, and I was very grateful for it."
Her colleague Eijaz Hussain used it to drop his three children at school on Monday. "I got to spend time with them in the car, engaging in various discussions," he said. "During the ride, the kids were full of energy and asked many questions, especially my 8-year-old daughter Rehab. After every summer holiday, the first day of school is full of excitement. The two hours gave me peace of mind knowing I did not have to rush back to work and could enjoy the time with my children."
In addition to government entities, several private companies also provided flexible work options. For Manjula Manoj, an Indian mother of two, this is a "tough week" with both her children starting school on Monday. "I had to prepare early to drop my daughter off at school. Even though my office has flexible hours, I wanted to avoid being late, so I had to skip the gym to ensure I could drop my kid off and be at the office on time." To ease into the school routine, she and her husband coordinated their roles in the morning. "This is a tough week for us, but with preparation, we made it smooth."
Another person preparing for a challenging week is Emirati mother M.K. "Having three kids who start on different days required prior planning," she said. She planned to take an hour off from work on Monday and Wednesday. "Today, I received an email from work allowing parents a two-hour delay on the first week of returning to school," she shared gratefully.
