Worship gives teachers strength during days of fasting
Teachers in the UAE said they were happy to fast during Ramadan, even as they spend long hours assisting pupils online and in class.
Private schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai cut their hours to five hours from the usual seven.
But for many teachers, the day starts as early as 3.30am, when they wake up to prepare suhoor for their families, after which they get a few hours of rest before heading to school.
And the job does not end with the ringing of the school bell.
Whether it is cooking for the family or answering parents’ queries, teachers said work continued until 10pm at times, because they had to prepare the next day’s lessons.
“I may get headaches due to hunger pangs, but the worship gives me strength,” said Anila Rashid, 46, a social science teacher at Delhi Private School Dubai. “There are days when
I want to sleep or rest but I do not have the time.”
The mother of two said that teachers’ workloads had increased because of the pandemic.
Ms Rashid said she spent about 15 hours a day on schoolwork and personal chores.
After coming home from school and praying, she spends more than two hours cooking iftar and dinner.
A short rest and she is back on her feet, laying the table and getting the food ready for iftar.
She spends her evening in worship and cleaning up, while fielding questions from parents, and preparing for the next day’s work.
“While I am praying, I am still receiving messages,” she said.
“I know that parents are anxious and have questions. If we don’t give them the answers, who will?”
She said Ramadan was a month of reflection for her because it made her think of the
millions of people who did not have access to nutritious meals.
“Ramadan is special for me as I enjoy the connection with Allah and it helps me to become more compassionate,” she said.
Sumaiya Shaukat, head of kindergarten at Gulf Model School, said she organised her
tasks, creating slots for schoolwork, prayers, cooking, laundry and teaching her children.
“I have fasted since I was eight and I make sure I take out time for this,” said Ms Shaukat, from Pakistan. “There is nothing called rest in my life at the moment.”
Once home from school at about 2pm, she spends time reciting the Quran. At 4pm, she sits down with her children to help them with their studies.
Her children, Haris, 15, and Insiyah, 9, are studying remotely and need their mother’s help. Ms Shaukat, 34, said she was back in the kitchen at 5pm to ensure iftar was ready before sunset.
Nesreen Al Abbas, a primary school Arabic teacher at American Academy for Girls in Dubai, said she waited eagerly for the month of Ramadan.
The mother of three loves to put together a traditional Syrian iftar, which includes warak enab, or stuffed vine leaves, sambousas, crispy snacks filled with meat, cheese or vegetables, and soup.
Ms Al Abbas, who has two daughters and a son, said reduced working hours made things easier.
She said sleeping for a while during the day gave her the energy to work, cook, and help her children with homework.