Documentary reviews Dubai's success story in continuing the educational process during the "Corona" pandemic

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai has released a documentary film entitled “Education in the Time of the Pandemic.. The Story of Dubai,” which deals with stories and testimonies of students, teachers and principals of private schools in the emirate, as well as officials of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai about how the educational community in Dubai was able to successfully and effectively Dubai facing the repercussions of the pandemic and overcoming it in the early stages of its appearance since March of the year 2020.

The documentary reviews important stations in the journey of the educational community in Dubai during the pandemic and the effective method in which it positively adapted to the accelerating changes that accompanied it to ensure the health and safety of all members of the educational community as a top priority, and to confirm the continuity of education for all students in various circumstances and conditions, especially during the transition to learning. Remotely in schools and universities, where the success of implementing this system came thanks to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, that “education will not stop” during the closure period to implement the national sterilization program.

Abdullah Al Karam, Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, said: “Our educational community has gone through many accelerating experiences and challenges in a short period of time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as the year 2020 was exceptional and will not be forgotten, not because of the changes that occurred in our lives, but because of The way we've changed, the things we've learned and the convictions we've had to reconsider."

He added, "The pandemic has shown the strength and interdependence of Dubai society, especially when it comes to the education of our children and the quality of their lives. Nothing is impossible. We found it important to document this exceptional model in dealing wisely with a crisis that affected all parts of the world, by monitoring stories and the experiences of teachers, school leaders, parents and students, and highlighting the extent of societal commitment in Dubai to enrich the education experience for all students, while the documentary work reflects Dubai’s leading position as a distinguished international destination for teaching and learning.”

defining moment

The documentary deals with the moment when the traditional lifestyle around the world stopped, with many countries taking a decision to close schools in early March of the year 2020, at which time the UAE government took a decision banning all indoor and outdoor gatherings in schools, and freezing all after-school activities and events. To ensure the health and safety of community members as a top priority.

The documentary highlights the proactive approach of the Emirate of Dubai to recover from the pandemic and ensure the safety and health of society as an absolute priority, as the Dubai government was keen to ensure the highest levels of readiness in the various stages and stations of the pandemic, while mobilizing all health, administrative and organizational capabilities in order to ensure the highest levels of efficiency in the face of various The repercussions of this exceptional situation that the world has not witnessed in terms of its size and influence in its modern history.

First time

The documentary deals with the period during which all private schools in Dubai moved to the application of distance learning for the first time amid great challenges. It also highlights how the educational community succeeded in overcoming the challenges during that difficult period that witnessed exemplary solidarity between the various segments of society and its members to ensure the continuity of education. For all students with high quality, as is the case with the continuity of work within many of the vital vital sectors in Dubai, which continued to work with high efficiency during that period due to proper planning and the strength of technical infrastructure that enabled the emirate to make the remote work model successful, and ensured that vital services did not stop during that period, While maintaining the health of students and educational, administrative and service staff in schools was of paramount importance, as all necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of all.

At a time when parents were anxious in light of the rapid changes, the development of the “distance learning assessment” system, in cooperation between the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai and the concerned government agencies in the country, contributed to spreading the spirit of reassurance among parents that their children’s schools offer higher education. Quality, especially with comparisons with modern international best practices in this field, in order to ensure the ability of schools to provide high-quality education in exceptional circumstances, and to enrich the teaching and learning experience of students during them.   

Dubai

The documentary highlights the “Dubai One Row” initiative that was launched at an early stage in the life of the pandemic, and it included two separate aspects: the first is an electronic platform that collects in one place many of the resources that were available, and presents them to those looking for them, while the second aspect of The initiative, as the formation of a team from the authority worked around the clock, to answer daily the questions that were received.

The documentary explains that, "During the first two weeks, the KHDA team answered more than 2,000 emails and phone calls. It also received more than 12,000 messages via social media, and the authority's website witnessed a massive traffic of more than 4,000 visitors."

The documentary indicated that with the announcement that schools and universities would remain closed until the end of the 2019-2020 school year, and despite the difficult circumstances during 2020, the hearts of people in Dubai remained full of hope in light of their great confidence in the government measures that are being taken to ensure the health and safety of all members of the community. Society within the framework of cooperation between the various stakeholders in the Emirate of Dubai.

Together we rise

On the educational level, and in light of the emerging needs of the educational community in Dubai, government and private institutions have cooperated to provide support to schools, universities, parents and teachers. The documentary also highlighted cooperation between schools and teachers to support each other.

Another story that the documentary deals with by monitoring the launch of the virtual platform from the "Together We Rise" series of forums, which, during the pandemic, became fully online.

It is the platform that brought teachers together to share their successful experiences with others on various topics that are related to the emerging needs of the educational community during the pandemic.

The documentary film deals with the procedures for reopening private schools in Dubai, and the start of the stage of coexistence with the Covid-19 virus, while adhering to the preventive measures approved by the concerned authorities to ensure the health and safety of all members of society, as the percentage of schools committed to the procedures reached 90% of the school community, and a team Commitment in the authority about 20 daily visits to schools to ensure the extent of compliance with the approved precautionary measures.

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