Photo used for illustrative purpose.

Tarek Al Hammadi, Director of the Support Services Department at the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA), thanked His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah for reducing the number of school days and increasing the holidays.

Al Hammadi announced the implementation of a specific time mechanism in Sharjah private schools, to be four days from Monday until Thursday, and the weekly leave will be on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Al Hammadi said through the direct line programme of Sharjah Radio and Television that the authority met representatives and principals of private schools in the emirate and decided some procedures to apply in regard with the weekly school system. He added each school is entitled to apply one or more of these mechanisms according to what suits it.

According to the new mechanisms, the private school can increase the time of the school day, modify the timetable and the time of the period based on the adopted curriculum and without decreasing the number of periods of each school subject.

The school is entitled to add three hours at utmost weekly, to apply the remote education system after the school day.

Schools also are entitled to increase a week at utmost to the yearly number of school days. Schools adopting the Ministry curriculum have to adhere to the time table the ministry decides in regard with only the exams and valuation. This means that if the ministry decides to hold an exam on the ministry curriculum on Friday, the school has to follow this.