Many students from the South Indian State of Kerala have not returned to schools in the UAE after the summer vacation, possibly affected by the devastating floods in the state two weeks ago, school principals in Abu Dhabi, said.
About 25 per cent pupils, mostly Keralites, have not come back to our school after vacation, said Dr V.V Abdul Kader, principal of The Model School Abu Dhabi, one of the largest Indian schools in the emirate with 4,800 pupils. It is the only school in the emirate following the Kerala state curriculum along with the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) syllabus.

Dr Kader said some families used to come back late after vacation due to non-availability/high cost of flight tickets during this peak season. “On their request, we give them up to a ten-day grace period,” Kader said. About 80 per cent pupils are from Kerala and rest of them are from other parts of India and other Asian nations.
Many parents have informed us that they would be late because they were affected by the flood. “We will give them a 15-day grace period,” the principal said.
Six Keralite teachers were also affected by the flood. Their homes were partially or completely destroyed. “Four of them have come back and the remaining two will return next week,” Dr Kader said.

A few Keralite pupils and three teachers have also not returned to Abu Dhabi Indian School (Adis), the largest Indian school in the emirate, due to after-effects of the flood, said Neeraj Bhargava, the principal. “We will give all possible support to those pupils and teachers. The pupils who have to attend upcoming exams will be given additional support when they come back,” Bhargava said.
Other prominent Indian schools in Abu Dhabi also said some Keralite students are yet to return from vacation.
The Model School Principal said he came across only one case of lost passport and visa in the Kerala flood. The school has advised the parent to apply for the documents on emergency procedures, Dr Kader said.
The Indian Embassy has also not received any complaints about lost passports or visas in Kerala floods [as of Tuesday afternoon], Navdeep Singh Suri, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, told Gulf News. He said the embassy has already requested the Kerala Government to assist such people.
Regarding pupils returning late after the vacation, the envoy said the schools have the authority to give a grace period up to 15 days.