As many pupils prepare to return to school, a “new normal” awaits them amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
While online learning was the norm from mid-March onwards due to the pandemic, many students in the UAE will return to in-class learning with a hybrid of e-learning.
Ahead of the school year officially beginning, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai wished pupils a “safe start” to the academic year.
“I heard from the Minister of Education about the latest preparations for the start of the next academic year,” His Highness wrote to his 10.3 million Twitter followers.
اطلعت من وزراء التربية والتعليم على آخر الاستعدادات لانطلاق العام الدراسي القادم .. نتطلع لانطلاقة آمنة ووفق أفضل معايير السلامة لأكثر من مليون طالب وطالبة ضمن منظومة التعليم في الإمارات .. pic.twitter.com/ERlcn7LIzB
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) August 25, 2020
“We look forward to a safe start and in accordance with the best safety standards for more than a million students within the education system in the Emirates.”
As pupils prepare to head back to school, there are regulations to be mindful of which differ from emirate to emirate.
It’s been clarified that pupils in Dubai do not need to get tested, but teachers are due to undergo COVID-19 tests this week.
“As we look forward to many students returning to school next week, we would like to confirm that Covid-19 PCR testing is not mandatory for students,” the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, students who are over 12 will need to be tested. However, under a staggered return plan high school students are not set to return to classrooms until the end of September. Like Dubai, all teachers in the UAE capital must be tested for COVID-19.
Across the UAE, it is mandatory for students to wear face masks throughout the school day.
