Support from family is essential

oanna M.’s stepmother will be fine and recover soon, God willing (‘Facebook live: Joanna M.’s stepmother is a cancer survivor. Now, Joanna’s donating her hair for the cause’, Gulf News, October 20). Positive thoughts and support to the family and friends, who are essential in this process. This is what I witnessed recently from two people who have fully recovered from cancer. Hair will start growing as soon as chemotherapy is over. I witnessed within the last year, a man and a woman who went through chemotherapy. Both lost their hair, but now, I see both of them with lush and beautiful hair. From Ms Syeda Ahmad UAE Facebook comment

A big heart

It is such a selfless act. God bless her! She has a big heart for saying she is not the brave one, but that the cancer patients are. From Ms Irvi Luthel Go Chua UAE Facebook comment

Something money can’t buy

Such a noble act. Her hair can grow back easily, but the smile it can bring to someone’s face is priceless! From Ms Luella Kathleen Pantastico-Gonzales UAE Facebook comment

Inspired

I will follow in her footsteps. I have very long hair and I am willing to give it to someone who needs it. From Ms Monteverde Mariannah Syzygy Davao City, Philippines Facebook comment

God bless her

I felt so sad to see the hairdresser cutting her hair, but I am very happy at the same time, for the good it will do. Joanna has a big heart — she is donating her beautiful hair to a cancer patient. From Ms Joyce Gordon Dubai Facebook comment

Couldn’t maintain standards

I t seems that Delhi Private School (DPS) Academy couldn’t maintain the requisite standards for the past three years (‘Indian school closure decision shocks parents’, Gulf News, October 21). They went through three

different principals, and charged high fees. They had to keep up with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) ratings, too. I feel bad for the primary section, as I feel it was doing better than senior school. The fee is not refunded, as per law, but the school should have informed parents earlier, as most other schools close admissions at the end of October. Thankfully, I moved my eighth grader to a different school in August. From Ms Sameera Rahman Hyder Adil Dubai Facebook comment

Pressured parents

I know that some schools in Abu Dhabi were closed and others were merged. Schools should have buildings with all the required facilities, enough space and a safe environment for children. Not meeting these requirements is the reason why many schools seem to have closed. I moved from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain, but other parents didn’t have this option. While parents are worried about the future of their children, new private schools with all facilities have opened, but the fees are not viable — kindergarten starts from Dh1,400 per month. From Ms Sakeena Hameed Al Ain Facebook comment

Too much hype

K indergarten registration opens at midnight and closes by 9am in many Sharjah schools. After this, the school authorities call for an interview with the children and parents. Then, they select the best-performing children, whose parents are well-versed in English or are in managerial positions at their workplace. Is this required? So now, the schools have got only smart children, which translates to good results and performance. It has nothing to do with the schools or teachers. We parents think these schools are best, and it creates further hype for these institutions. From Ms Kumara Swamy Nissani Dubai Facebook comment

A dilemma

T his is bad news. I remember we, too, were in a state of shock when our school closed down in Abu Dhabi two years ago. My children did not have a school to go to, for three months, as no other school was taking in new registrations. There must have been around 1,400 students without school during this time. It’s really a stressful condition. I hope they find a solution for the students soon. From Ms Um Abdul Abu Dhabi Facebook comment

Let others live, too

T he news report about the Titicaca frogs in Peru was sad (‘10,000 critically endangered frogs die in Peru’, Gulf News, October 19). As the article says, more than 10,000 critically endangered Titicaca frogs died in Peru due to polluted waters. These frogs are said to have wrinkled skin, which helps them absorb oxygen from the water, especially because they live at such high altitudes.

Lake Titicaca is one of South America’s largest lakes. It’s located at a very high altitude, of 3,800 metres above sea level. Due to extensive human intervention, most of our water bodies are polluted through the dumping of industrial waste, plastic and sewage. This lake is said to be polluted by sewage and heavy metals from illegal mines. Polluting our waters has endangered marine life. Our blue waters are slowly turning yellow due to this continuous dumping of industrial waste. We would surely lose more of such species of animals and plants, if this matter is not taken seriously by the concerned authorities. This species of frog is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We hope the country’s local bodies and the National Forestry and Wild Life services will launch an awareness campaign to protect Titicaca Lake, thus saving the endangered frogs from becoming extinct. Life is precious and in order to sustain a balance in our ecosystems, we need to ensure that we live and let others live, too. From Mr Eappen Elias Dubai

Addressing key problems

I t is really heartening that for once, India’s One Day International (ODI) captain, M.S. Dhoni, has not only accepted the failure of his batting unit, but has also admitted his folly in opting to bowl first at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi, India (‘NZ pull off 6-run win after Williamson ton’, Gulf News, October 21). This in itself is a positive turn, and if he weeds out the non-performing players, then we would definitely see improvements in India’s performance during the next matches. Perhaps they could win the series, too. From Ms Janaki Mahadevan Mylapore, India

Beginner’s luck?

I t is really good that India’s cricket coach, Anil Kumble, believes that Hardik Pandya has provided the right balance to the team. No doubt, he was successful in his debut match at Dharamasala, India,. I feel it would be foolish to hype up his performance, which may backfire, like it did with Irfan Pathan. I think almost 80 per cent of debutantes have beginner’s luck, which could end in subsequent matches. I hope it doesn’t catch up with Pandya, and he becomes a real force to be reckoned with. Incidentally, though, the Indian coach feels that Dhoni may not need time to settle down. I feel that he is on the wane and should bat at number four or at least number five to help the team to win. From Ms Kavitha Srikanth Chennai, India

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