With steady rainfall and strong winds, the United Arab Emirate road network suffered clogging flooding, and an all but inevitable gridlock. Not only was the drainage infrastructure not coping with the unexpected amount of rain in a country where rain drops are a practically unknown phenomenon, but drivers were also getting confused by the sudden presence of water puddles on usually bone dry roads. The result was merry chaos, exemplified by the many crawling cars with beams on full and hazard lights aglow.

The meteorological department blamed a low pressure front. But for parents, the blood pressure front was on the up and up. Schools, faced with the wanton disruption of scheduling and transport, took the safe way out, and closed down shop until the rains abated. In particular, school buses from the emirate of Sharjah had been horrendously delayed due to an intoxicating mix of construction works and knee deep water. Parents were feeling under the weather, because they were not offered discounts in school fees that had already been paid for education that was not taking place. The atmosphere was in fact discernibly damp all around.

A pleasant interlude came about due to the visit of US President George W Bush to the country. Rapidly realising that it would be logistical nightmare to offer prudent security measures for the head of state, relevant authorities rapidly handed out a public holiday for all sectors in Dubai, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates.While professionals and students alike were highly appreciative of the holiday, employers and educators were a bit taken aback because unscheduled holidays have the potential to wreak havoc on educational calendars as well as business bottom lines.

A storm in a teacup also developing in the Educational Zones (EZ) in the UAE. According to local daily newspaper Khaleej Times, a number of employees, teachers and principals resigned from public sector institutions. The Educational Zones management apparently treated the resignations as ipso facto without clearing the matter with the Ministry of Education. Accusations flew thick and fast, with the Educational Zones’ powers –that-be scolded for obviously not caring about the educational process. After all, it is unhealthy to have a spate of resignations mark the start of the second semester of study.

Murkier still was the cause behind the resignations. They all kicked off because a spurious rumour about personnel resigning before the start of 2008 apparently benefiting from a 70 percent increase in basic salaries when drawing their compensation packages.

The Ministry of Education is drawing flak for not doing enough quickly enough to dispel the rumour, and is now left having to deal with the detritus from the mass exodus of educators.

And the Ministry’s woes do not end there.Again, dutifully reported in Khaleej times was a little piece about the Ministry of Finance refusing a small Ministry of Education request for funds to revamp systems at the Financial and Human Resources Development Departments. The amount in question was a mere 75 million UAE Dirhams,but the Ministry of Finance obviously decided to be a bit miserly and politely told the planning department at the Ministry of Education that the price was a bit steep for a mere system revamp.This wasn’t received in the best of spirits.

For the education sector in the UAE, the year 2008 was the stereotypical newborn – fussy, screaming, kicking and quite a handful. Fingers crossed, everyone waited for maturity to set in.