Switching to "remote education" if two positive cases are confirmed
A plan to deal with Coronavirus cases in schools in Abu Dhabi
"Knowledge" has identified 15 students as a maximum number of students in a class. From the source
The Department of Education and Knowledge has developed a plan to deal with the discovery of new cases of Coronavirus infection in private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, based on two axes, the first in the event that one case is discovered, it is isolated and those who have had contact with it and their families for a period of 14 days, and the second axis, if two positive cases are proven, the school is transferred To distance education for a period of not less than two weeks. The department called on all schools to adhere to the "compliance policy", in order to be able to reopen all classrooms by next October.
The department sent private schools the updated plan to reopen private schools and attend students ’attendance during the next academic year, during which it confirmed some changes to the return policy, in accordance with what was approved by the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Committee resulting from the" Covid-19 "pandemic in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
She emphasized that the reopening of schools will take place in stages, as only grades from kindergarten to fifth grade will be held in school classes during the first four weeks of the start of the study, while the date of the classes that will join the study inside the school will be announced gradually "in stages" According to the health situation in the school, so schools should implement a flexible system for continuing remote education for these classes, and the school will be notified before transferring any classes from distance education to in-class education within a period of three to five days, to allow the school to prepare .
The department has set the maximum number of students in the classroom at 15 students, while ensuring a social distance between students of not less than 1.5 meters, and examining daily temperatures for students and all school staff, and obligating teachers and students from the age of six years and over to wear face masks, and commenting All sports and extra activities.
The department stressed the need to divide the school into three or four large sectors, including teachers and students, according to classes, while ensuring that there is no overlap between sectors, and in the event that an injury case is discovered, only the sector in which the injury is found can be isolated, and tests and more safety measures are taken, stressing that Conducting "Covid-19" checks are mandatory for teachers, employees and students over the age of 12 years, as schools will be subject to inspection visits before opening, periodically, to ensure compliance.
The department called on school administrations to grant students' families at least two weeks to determine the most appropriate model for them in the education of their children, whether distance education or their children enrolling in school according to one of the five models presented, and if the parents decide to physically send their child to school, they will need to sign a statement that they They will not do this if their child shows any of the symptoms of "Covid-19".
Learning options
The Department of Education and Knowledge indicated that the plan to reopen schools gives the option to parents and students to continue education completely remotely during the first semester of the next academic year, provided that prior coordination with the school, or choosing one of the five main educational models to receive students, approved by the Department of Education And knowledge, which includes the attendance of the full-time system, which requires students to attend daily to school, or the regular part-time system, so that students attend daily to school but for half the school day, or the model rotation by days, where students receive direct education face to face in the school on alternating days (Two days a week), or the week rotation model that provides direct face-to-face education for two weeks, and distance education for two weeks every month, in addition to the hybrid education model, which allows students to receive direct face-to-face education in school for two days in one week, And three days the following week, and distance education on the days they're at home.
Compliance Program
The Department of Education and Knowledge stressed that the next stage of opening schools gradually with the beginning of the school year, during which the focus will be on the compliance program, and schools will participate in this program before the current August 25, which will explain the various details of the compliance processes, the procedures to be followed, and the penalties that will be applied In the event of non-compliance. The department has set a number of obligations that each school must comply with in the event that classes are opened in it, including obtaining a no-objection certificate before opening the school, after a committee from the department visits the school to verify readiness to reopen, and no school will be able to reopen without this. Certification, appointing a school compliance officer to be responsible for daily communication with the department, in addition to the department's compliance teams visiting schools to conduct a greater examination to verify the implementation of the compliance policy after the school reopening in relation to all elements of the reopening policy, and the frequency of these visits will depend on the readiness of each School.