School holidays begin

Noor Eashal, a student at Majeediyya School, was looking forward to going to school on this Thursday. He was sure he would get an 'A' report, and he was looking forward to showing his grades to his parents.

"My father said he would give me a big gift if I got an A report. I want to go to Phuket [Thailand]," the 13-year-old said.

Like Eashal , this Thursday is special for all students in Maldives. Schools will close on Thursday after the school year ends.

Some children were waiting for the results, while others wanted to leave somewhere soon to spend their holidays.

In addition to the countries that students usually go for their vacation, families that live in the capital are also preparing to go to their islands to spend their holidays. At the same time, islanders are planning to visit the capital for various needs during these holidays.

"My son was given the report book today and the school is closed. His results are very good. But we will stay in Male as it is not vacation time for  us yet," a parent of Hiriya School said.

"I'll go to an island near here during the Eid holidays”.

The weather is not so favourable when the holidays began on Thursday.

The meteorological service (MET) said rain is expected throughout the country for the next five days.

The northern region has been experiencing heavy rains since Wednesday, with rough seas.

The MET office said the weather will start to brighten again after Monday. However, rain is expected during Eid.

Seas will be rough during this period, so travellers are advised to travel with caution.