The Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for the School Operations Sector, Fawzia Gharib, revealed that the Ministry has three future scenarios for the distance education system, which are related to the Corona pandemic case, including the continuation of virtual education in the event of an epidemic, and the scenario of returning direct education by no more than 50%. In addition to the scenario of merging direct and virtual education.
In detail, Gharib explained, during the virtual session of Ramadan organized by the Khalifa Award, under the title "Distance Education, Vision and Guidance", that the first scenario is linked to the continuation of the epidemic "Covid 19", where virtual education will be 100%, and smart education will be the focus of education In the country, while the second scenario is specific to the transitional stage after the virus has been displaced and the country has fully recovered from it, where traditional education is applied gradually so that direct education returns between 30% and 50%.
She pointed out that the third scenario is a development plan that the ministry seeks to implement in the event that life returns to normal before "Corona" and the plan includes the incorporation of two types of education, the first is direct and natural education (classroom), and the second is virtual distance education, but this will be done By proportion and proportion, the proportion of direct education may be 70% and virtual education by distance of 30%, so that we can keep pace with technological development and the transition to digital education in the country.
Gharib said: "Every plan has a certain time span, and if the spread of the Corona virus continues, the ministry will complete the implementation of distance education for the next academic year, but if it passes, the education will be subject to a transitional stage scenario that may be 6 months of the next school year, while work will be done on Drawing the future plan after nearly a year after returning to normal life, after studying the academic year.
She emphasized that the UAE can be a regional center for distance education, especially since there are many factors that support this, whether at the political, economic, technological, or social levels, noting that all indicators in the country are leading indicators in the implementation of distance education, due to this. For the efforts of good leadership, building an advanced technological environment, and consolidating investment, which are pioneering in this matter, and we are working to link this trend in the UAE and the auxiliary factors with the vision of the state 2021 and the state's fiftieth plan and the sustainable development goals 2030 "good education".
Gharib stressed that the digital transformation in distance education will affect the re-engineering of the Ministry of Education's strategy, in terms of school buildings and the extent of their need, and the implementation of direct education and the student's need to sit on the school seat 5 days a week, school hours and the extent of the student's need to study daily from the hour Seven in the morning until two in the evening,
She pointed out that the study plan, the school day and the whole study trip must be re-engineered, according to what the state and its educational system aspire to him to care for the student, after benefiting from the positive aspects that the school stage went through during the period of the emergence of the new Corona virus, and how to rationalize spending In education and reduce economic aspects, and reduce the proportion of education for each student, and whether it will be necessary to reduce the cost of the student in education.