Dear Sir,

Private schools in Qatar are free to schedule their winter vacation based on their convenience, according to a report in Gulf Times last December. But what happens if it inconveniences most of the parents whose children are in schools?
As per the new diary of the  Ideal Indian School for 2015-2016, it is not giving any winter break in December this year and examinations are scheduled until December 22.
This means no parent having children at the school can go on vacation in December. This will create problems for many.
Many companies in Qatar don’t allow all their  employees to take leave during  the summer months, for obvious reasons.
Also, fares to all destinations, during the summer months, are double the normal rates. Families, who are not given plane tickets by companies, find it a huge financial burden to travel during the summer because of this. December, when the airfares are not that high, is a better option for them.
As some companies don’t allow employees to carry forward their vacation to next year, they are forced  to take their leave before December. But if schools like  Ideal Indian don’t schedule winter holidays in December, it upsets the vacation plans of many families.
I request the Ideal Indian management to reschedule their exams and winter vacation in a  manner that helps the  majority of parents.
I would also like to use this opportunity to request the school to open all its four gates until 7am every day to ease congestion at the main entrance in the morning hours. At the moment the school opens only one gate for children to enter.
A few parents stop on the road right in front of the school gate to drop off their children and this causes traffic jams. I hope these parents show a bit more consideration for others.

Biju Abraham
abrahambiju@yahoo.com

A big loss to cricket

Dear Sir,

The game of cricket is passing through a critical period as it has been losing many star players and commentators, of late.
Legendary cricket commentator and player Riche Benaud died last week after a long illness. He had been receiving treatment for skin cancer. Benaud was perhaps the most influential cricket personality after Sir Donald Bradman.
Benaud, who has written several books on cricket, owed his fame mainly to his unique style of commentary.
Benaud started his career as a spin bowler and eventually became captain of the Australian cricket team.
He was the first player to reach 200 wickets and 2,000 runs in Test cricket, arriving at that milestone in 1963.
As a  captain, he never lost a series against any cricket playing nation.
After his retirement in cricket, he pursued a career in journalism and broadcasting. He was an integral part of BBC and Channel Nine commentary team.

Khawaja Umer Farooq
kufarooq2@gmail.com