Precautionary measures ... and a live broadcast from the classroom of "distance education"
Students return to school after a 180-day break
Checking the temperature of students before entering the school. Photography: Eric Arazas
picture
Yesterday, public and private schools in the country received a number of students, after a hiatus of about 180 days since the spring break was introduced for the last academic year and the application of the "remote education" system, throughout the third semester.
Students from grades three to six attended public schools, while private schools in Abu Dhabi welcomed students from kindergarten to fifth grade, who preferred the school attendance model.
And the rest of the country's students, in all grades, received their first school day with the "distance education" system.
In detail, the new academic year 2020-2021 has started, amidst strict precautionary and preventive measures, as schools have organized the process of students entering the classes through indicative signs that take into account social distancing distances. The students' parents were also prohibited from entering the school buildings, and their children were handed over to the security and safety officials in the schools, who took over the task of directing them to their classes.
Schools were keen to measure students ’temperatures before boarding the school buses and before entering the school building, in addition to maintaining physical distancing within the classroom and ensuring that students and teachers wear masks.
Schools broadcast lessons from inside the classroom, to connect students of "remote education" with their classmates from day one.
The first session of the first school day was devoted to talking about the Corona virus, and the precautionary measures that must be maintained. Foremost among them are washing hands, wearing masks, and physical distancing.
Schools are committed to conducting temperature checks using devices that do not require contact with the body, in addition to installing thermal scanners in the interior areas, near the main entrances, to facilitate the entry of students and prevent overcrowding.
Private schools have also divided their students, teaching and administrative staff, and their workers into four large groups, and completely prevented mixing between them, to ensure the safety of students and educational and administrative staff, in the event of any injury.
The Executive Director of the School Operations Sector at the Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi, Lubna Al Shamsi, said that the ministry had drawn up a plan to start the school year, as the first day witnessed the regularity of 25% of the students whose parents agreed to receive education in the school, while the rest of the students received their first school day. Through virtual education, part of them will join real education through a gradual return to school hours, noting that the Ministry has identified four stages for a gradual return, between each stage and two weeks, to assess the school's status for the next stage.
She added: “The Ministry has adopted the hybrid education system, which is an innovative educational system that integrates the direct school education system, e-learning, with self-directed education,” noting that the ministry prepared a guide for school operating protocols during the Corona pandemic, and tried it before the beginning of the year. Study, to take advantage of any improvement measures before distributing it to schools.
Al Shamsi explained that the protocol outlines the steps that must be taken during the student’s trip in school, from the time he receives the school bus ride until he is returned and delivered to his family at the door of the house. School buses.
It confirmed that school workers, including teachers, administrators, security personnel, supervisors and bus drivers, will be examined. It also confirmed the provision of sterilizers to schools to sterilize the schools three times a day before and in the middle of the school day and after students leave.
On the other hand, private schools in Abu Dhabi received students from kindergarten to fifth grade, as a first stage, while students in grades six through 12 received their distance education.
School principals and administrative officials emphasized their keenness to implement the requirements for the reopening of schools, which included requiring students (over six years old) to wear a muzzle, taking temperatures before entering school, and stressing physical spacing between them, noting that there are indicative signs in classrooms and roads to maintain distances. Safety.
Allocating the first session of the first school day to talk about the Corona virus.
Overlapping class dates
Relatives of students who preferred to choose the "remote education" model in the first semester said that the school day began at eight in the morning, when students received their education directly from the teacher inside the classroom, pointing out that the difficulties they faced were the transition between classes, where they faced Broadcast two different sessions at the same time due to lack of coordination.
Educators assured that the first week will witness many improvements.
They attributed the overlap between classes to teaching in more than one semester at the same time, stressing that overlap and organizing lessons more accurately.