staff reporter. SUPPLIED

Schools in Dubai are giving students and parents two days off to celebrate the Indian festival of Diwali with their loved ones at home. Schools will not hold classes on Monday and Tuesday (October 24-25), giving students a four-day weekend combined with Saturday and Sunday. For some schools, it is an extension of the mid-term break, which has already begun. A few schools are also hosting a Diwali fair. Some non-Indian curriculum institutions will host Diwali-themed activities on Monday (October 24), with children encouraged to dress in ethnic attire. Lalitha Suresh, Principal, GEMS Our Own Indian School, opines, “Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated in all Indian households with lights, sweets, new clothes and rangolis. In our school we celebrate Diwali a day before, when students come in colourful clothes and take part in special assemblies. The senior girls along with staff participate in an inter-house rangoli competition where they draw our beautiful designs on the floor and fill them with coloured powder. Sweet boxes are distributed to all staff and the school generally enjoys a two-day break to celebrate Diwali with their families. The festive feel is palpable throughout the school as staff exchange home-made sweets and Diwali delicacies in the staff room.”In celebration of Diwali, most Indian schools, including the Delhi Private School Dubai (DPS), will be closed on Monday and Tuesday (October 24-25), with students returning to their classrooms on Wednesday (October 26). Most Sharjah schools, including Sharjah Indian School and Ambassador School, will also be closed on Monday to celebrate the festival of lights. BKM/ Expat Media
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