Some Indian students yet to return to UAE schools after summer break

The UAE closed its borders when the pandemic hit, and people from India and Pakistan couldn’t return to their homeland for at least two and a half years. Now, with the situation under control and the ban on international travel being lifted, many have returned to their home countries to reunite with their families.

However, now that the summer break is over and schools have reopened, school heads expected to see total attendance. Unfortunately, in most schools, the present percentage of Indian and Pakistani students has fallen drastically - to almost zero.

The director principal of Sharjah Indian School told The Khaleej Times that the most prominent reason for the South-Indian students not returning to UAE is the dramatic price increase in air tickets. The fares have soared high due to high demand, with an average increase of 40% to 50% of the regular price. Plus, the families in Maharashtra and the surrounding states have stayed back to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.


The same is observed in Kerala, where the families want to extend their stay in India to celebrate their annual festival of Oman. Apart from this, Pakistani students have also faced difficulties with increased airfare. The recent floods in the country have worsened the situation further.

Several reports have also highlighted that some students of both India and Pakistan have tested Covid positive upon returning to their home countries. As long as they don’t get the negative RTCPR report in hand, they won’t be able to board the flights to UAE.

Although some schools like Ambassador School Sharjah have reported the least absentees for Indian and Pakistani students, the school authorities across UAE are hoping for the students and their families to return to the country at the earliest and resume classes.