In order to celebrate the Indian holiday of Diwali, certain schools in the United Arab Emirates will give their students an extra weekend. On campus festivities, however, will be subdued as long as the Israel-Hamas conflict persists.
Gems Our Own Indian School said in a parent bulletin that it will be closed on Friday, November 10, and Monday, November 13, in honor of the holiday. For the pupils, this would mean a four-day weekend.
The school’s principal, Lalitha Suresh, stated that families will have more time to celebrate Diwali during the long weekend thanks to the four-day vacation.
This year’s Diwali celebrations at the school will be modest, consisting just of educational class assemblies. According to her statement to Khaleej Times, “all students have been assessed to be aware of the regional situation and they have been encouraged to celebrate Diwali by donating towards the Emirates Red Crescent campaign.”
She brought up the ‘Tarahum – for Gaza’ relief effort, which the United Arab Emirates started in order to assist Palestinians impacted by the Gaza conflict. The effort has received support from thousands of UAE citizens, enabling the ERC to transport tons of life-saving supplies to Gaza.
