Dedicated lanes for school buses
I would like to bring to the attention of concerned authorities a problem that students from Sharjah, who are studying in Dubai schools, are facing. There is already a lot of pressure on students, due to extensive academic programmes. On top of that, both the morning and evening traffic delays the buses, due to which, schools have to change their timings and students have to wake up extra early.
My school opens at 9am, but the bus arrives at 6.45am, meaning I have to wake up at 5.30am. The bus reaches the school at around 8.30am and, if the traffic is too much, we don’t arrive until 9.30am. The school day ends at 3pm and the bus usually reaches home at 4pm.
Due to these reasons, there is minimal time left for students to rest and study, and maintain hours for extracurricular activities. I earnestly hope that the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and other concerned authorities will take action to help students. I would like to suggest that if one lane is provided for school buses on Al Ittihad Road from Sharjah to Dubai, it could easily cut travel time by an hour-and-a-half. Students would get enough time to rest, study and participate in other activities. From Mr Amar Singh Dubai
Stop ‘phubbing’
I n an age that is rapidly developing and evolving, people are forgetting how to socialise and are always chasing the latest technology.
Spending time on smartphones seems to have greater priority than spending time with family. People are living in a virtual world rather than in reality.
Now, flowers are sent through WhatsApp and emotions are expressed through emoticons. People write humongous speeches on Mother’s Day, but don’t have the time to personally meet their mother and hug her. Relations are formed and broken on Facebook.
Belief in God is tested by sharing an image and not by praying. Many decline the offer of a get-together, as they are too busy.
Most of the time, they are busy watching videos and checking updates on Facebook.
People fail to realise that there may be a person waiting to share his/her troubles or discuss something important while they are busy on their phone.
Never would I say that social media is a complete curse. It helps us connect with people who are distant from us, but people have become so obsessed with it that they have forgotten to socialise. From Ms Akshitha Unnithan Dubai
We will suffer
M any thanks for the coverage at the Climate Change Conference in Paris (‘UN chief warns against catastrophe’, Gulf News, December 8). The information on the effects of global warming in Bangladesh, with the potential disappearance of Kutubdia Island in 50 years, was especially revealing. This is part of my home country and we will suffer terribly from the brunt of global warming. From Mr Deserti Robin UAE Facebook comment
Care for all animals
I saw a documentary once, raising awareness of Australians who were killing camels that were no longer useful to them (‘New Zealand, Australia lead protest against Japanese whaling’, Gulf News, December 8). Australia has a massive feral camel population after they were brought from South Asia for the purpose of transportation in the 1800s. These are still beautiful animals, so what about them? From Mr Afnan Aftab Motiwala UAE Facebook comment
Progression and regression
M any are raising their voices against whaling, but people are quiet against violence towards other human beings in the world. This world has grown up a lot in some ways, but seems to have regressed in others. From Mr Mohammad Ashraf Dubai Facebook comment
Not that simple
T he point to be noted Mr Mohammad Ashraf, is that at least people can raise objections if they have issues, but animals do not have a voice of their own. We humans have to advocate for them. From Ms Sophie V. Sharjah Facebook comment
Plight of job seekers
W hether UAE industries are hiring or not, it is very clear that some recruitment companies in Dubai are making lots of money using the current job market situation (‘UAE companies still recruiting amid job cuts’, Gulf News, December 9).
Recently, I visited such a place and realised there are a vast number of people on visit visas seeking jobs, and many spend a lot of time waiting in long queues in front of recruitment companies.
They are charged from Dh300 to Dh1,000 for various so-called ‘services’, such as professional curriculum vitae (CV) writing, assessment and professional cover letter writing.
But nobody is guaranteed any job. They are just discouraging job seekers from using their own CVs and trapping them with these types of services.
Since most are on visit visas, they want to get a job as soon as possible, so people easily fall into these traps. From Mr Antony Melros UAE
Place of unity in diversity
Global Village is a great spot to check out, as it’s a place where we can explore the world.
It welcomes a huge numbers of visitors from all over the globe and is the ultimate cultural, entertainment and shopping destination in Dubai this time of year.
The colourful flashing lights and the colossal pavilions of different countries promise great excitement and surprise, with innovative and appealing handicrafts. With entertainment in the form of cultural performances, daring stunt shows and fast-paced rides, my senses are overwhelmed on every visit.
My gratitude goes out to the cooperative and helpful security staff who are always ready to lend a hand.
What I love most about my visits to Global Village is that it gives us a feeling of unity in diversity. From Ms Riddhi Goswami Dubai
Actions more than words
Poverty is the main issue plaguing the world today. World governments should take stringent action to eradicate it — and not by simply voicing the importance of doing so.
Today, we find youth who try to raise their voice regarding this matter, but on a large scale, there doesn’t seem to be much effort.
The public often doesn’t take a stand to do something about poverty.
The people living in poverty don’t get our love and sympathy, instead, they get our pity, which is not enough to bring happiness and prosperity. Caste and tribe discrimination are the effects of poverty. World governments should provide cheaper electricity and education, and give the poor their basic requirements.
Though we may not be able to make it out to help the less fortunate, we can try attempt to step forward in building their future. I would like to add that people should take this issue seriously and even take the initiative to alleviate poverty, however possible, through their actions. From Ms Celena Taneja UAE
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