Homework in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

In an article in gulfnews.com, It’s homework time for mum and dad, parents in Dubai, candidly admit that they do their children’s homework for them:

Anita Ailani, a mother of two, usually ends up doing most of the work for her children’s school projects.

“It is never a true expression of my children’s talent,” she says.

She said that it has become more than just having paintbrushes and shoe boxes at home.

“We never throw old magazines away. It’s even become a family activity to look through pictures for the next school project,” said Ailani.

“I’ve always helped my kids [Rohan, 17 and Aman, 8] with school projects, but sometimes the projects are beyond the child’s ability. It’s really the parents’ creativity that is put to the test,” she complains. “It can be quite cumbersome.”

The mother says that its is good to an extent that she is able to help put with the homework, and adds: “If you don’t help, while every other child is getting help, your child’s work will be substandard in comparison. You have no option, because then they get upset when their grades are low,” said Ailani.

While the parents quoted in the article are aware that they shouldn’t provide so much help, just like many American parents they feel they have no choice:

Such is the competition within the classroom to produce the best presentation, art project, or science experiment, that parents feel they have no option but to roll up their sleeves and help with the blueprints.

Instead of unwinding at home after a day at the office, some parents say they face the gruelling task of helping with the school project.

Shopping trips become hunting excursions for glitter pens, poster paints, cotton wool, coloured paper, buttons, papier mache … the list goes.

Evenings go on into the night waiting for that last coat of paint to dry. Storage space is taken over by stacks of magazines, impossible to throw away as they are useful for images.

Hardware stores are scoured for wires and pipes for science projects.