Issued a guide to providing a safe learning environment
Sharjah Private Education identifies 4 possible sources of 'infection'
The Sharjah Private Education Authority has identified four potential sources of infection transmission among students, in the event of a viral infection, stressing the need to take them into account and deal with them with the reopening of private schools in the emirate for the academic year 2020-2021, which is transmission of infection through large gatherings in the areas of entry and exit, And the canteen, and during the evaluation sessions, the parents receive their children.
The commission issued a comprehensive guide that includes policies, protocols and precautionary measures that schools must follow in order to provide a safe and healthy learning environment.
The director of the authority, Ali Al Hosani, said that the issuance of the guide came at the close of the start of the new school year, as students return to study after applying the distance learning system during the third semester of the 2019-2020 academic year, after a break of more than five months.
The focus of the guidelines for reopening private schools and dealing with the risks associated with the "Covid-19" virus is of great importance, as it defines the basic procedures that must be adhered to to ensure the safety and health of students, including the formation of a team in each school to deal with the health pandemic, whose membership includes employees from all departments His responsibility is to take precautionary measures to reopen schools, to ensure that guidelines are applied to conduct a risk assessment, to ensure that the school is ready to reopen, to work on appointing a team of school health and safety officials to handle emergency situations, follow up on them, to monitor the implementation of health and safety measures, and to conduct the necessary training courses For students and school personnel, and disseminating educational information for parents and other stakeholders. He is also responsible for overseeing the provision of isolation rooms within the school buildings.
According to the guide, a "Covid-19" examination will be conducted in cooperation with the health authorities in Sharjah, for students, teachers and workers in private schools before actually joining the school. Regular check-ups will also be conducted for students, teachers and other school personnel, provided that the authority communicates with schools about any relevant developments from the concerned health authorities in Sharjah.
The authority allowed schools to return to school hours according to three teaching models: The first is a full day with all students present. The second is a two-shift model, which enables schools to establish a mechanism for distributing students at intervals as they see fit. The third model is the hybrid education model, in which students alternate between distance learning and actually attending classes.
How safety measures and physical distancing are implemented will determine the teaching model that schools will follow.
He reviewed the controls for the use of chapels in schools, and the special procedures inside the offices of the teaching and administrative bodies, common areas, and libraries, stressing the complete commitment to the one and a half meters physical distance, continuous sterilization, and the commitment to the limited use of equipment in outdoor learning areas, with an emphasis on closing some types of areas Play.
The guide stressed that schools implement health measures in the rest areas, as well as food and nutrition, with the call in the "material and equipment hub" to reduce the use of common materials, prevent the participation of stationery and other items, and properly fill in school books and school uniforms, and sterilize them, before starting the process. Distribution, and avoid gatherings and queues during the distribution process.
Basic actions
- Corona examination for students and school workers, and a capacity of no more than 50% in buses.
The obligation to wear a mask throughout the school day, with the exception of students who are under the age of six.
Forming a specialized team to deal with the health pandemic and suspending school activities completely.
Suspension of activities
According to the guide, group activities, such as trips, celebrations, sports camps, etc., are suspended and replaced with extracurricular activities via the Internet, and the procedures to be followed in maintenance work also include the most important medical procedures required by schools from a qualified and trained school clinic, with the allocation of an isolation room, treatment room and areas waiting.
The guide also specified the mechanism for dealing with cases suspected of having the disease by notifying the guardian and the competent authorities, with the schools' commitment to the requirements of the health authority for dealing with any suspected cases, tracking contacts and isolating them for a period of 14 days from the date of examining the case, while applying the policy of staying in Homes if the student or employee is sick.