CHILDCARE WOES IN SCHOOL BREAKS
Mothers and fathers in Fujairah voice frustration at lack of activities on offer for children during the school break
Working parents in Fujairah up in arms at lack of holiday facilities for children,
FUJAIRAH // Working parents expressed their concerns about a lack of holiday camps and activities for children in the emirate over the threeweek school break.
A few centres offer a limited number of activities for two to three hours a week, leaving parents struggling to keep their children occupied during the break, often while they have to work.
A 38-year-old from Syria said she would have difficulty during the break because her maid would be out of the country.
“I finish work about 6pm and during school days I leave my kids with the maid. Now she is on holiday, and I don’t know what to do,” said Hala Sadiq, who has three children aged between 5 and 9.
“I can’t leave them alone so I started searching for a day-care centre that provides activities that suits their ages. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any.
“Most of them offer activities for two to three hours a week and that’s not enough, so I decided to send them to my sister’s house in Sharjah. It’s not ideal but I don’t have other choices.”
Another working mother said that she had to take annual leave to look after her child.
“I don’t have a full-time maid so I applied for a holiday to stay with my child during his school break. It’s the only solution because I couldn’t find a place to put him in,” said Seham Ayoub, a 35-year-old Jordanian mother of a six-year-old boy.
“I wanted to enrol him in a sports activity like football but the fees are quite high and we can’t afford it now. Most likely we will spend the holiday at home unless he takes some music classes.” Muhamed K B, an Indian father of two, said that children in Fujairah needed to have a place that could provide daily educational and fun activities so they could make the most of the holidays.
“Children need extra-curricular activities throughout the day,” he said.
“I have a six-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy. I believe it is a must to have a child camp that can provide such activities every day – some places are conducting programmes but only for one hour twice a week.” The manager of Roses Music and Learning Centre said that it had been offering music, singing and painting classes for almost five years in Fujairah.
“We offer lessons for children over three years old and the course duration is one month. Participants can attend three sessions per week, with each lesson for one hour,” said Dhanesan C B.
The centre is open weekdays, but only from 4pm to 9pm. The course costs Dh200 a child.
“Our prices are affordable and not high to encourage everyone to join,” he said.
“Sometimes we offer morning classes but only during school breaks. Unfortunately, children can’t spend the day at the centre but at least they can learn something new during their visits.”