KHDA uses dry humour to make light of wet weather
‘Submarine’ tweet sets off online battle of wits
As rain lashed Dubai and the roads turned soaking-wet overnight, it was time for some dry humour at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
The social media team handling its Twitter account had the Twitterati abuzz with its witty repartee to questions from parents and students wanting to know if schools would be closed.
It all started with a lighthearted tweet on the possibility of a submarine being sent to pick up school students in the morning. To which KHDA replied: “There are no submarines, but the school bus should be right at your doorstep tomorrow morning, unless your school tells you otherwise! Have a great day!”
When a prompt reply — “If I drown I’m suing” — followed, KHDA said: “If you drown, you can’t sue. Checkmate.”
Replying to one unedited tweet, the team said, “Literally, if that’s how you write, then you need all the schooling you can get.”
The tweets drew mixed reactions. While some congratulated the “cool cat” behind the “hilarious” tweets, others asked KHDA if it was laughing and sought a “more professional” response. There were some who wanted KHDA to “keep quiet” and even advised its team to “think of students’ health before their studies”.
By noon, KHDA’s tweets had disappeared.
To a query by Gulf News on the Twitter storm, Amal Bel Hasa, CEO, Knowledge and Human Development Policies at KHDA, said, “Schools in Dubai are empowered to make weatherrelated closure decisions, keeping in view the interests of child safety. Any and all decisions about school closures will be informed to parents by the school.”