UAE: Private schools ready to reopen in September
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Heads of various private school groups in Dubai have expressed their readiness to reopen school campuses in September, following the summer holidays.
An official re-opening date is yet to be announced by the UAE Ministry of Education and the private school regulators of various Emirates. However, school heads said it is a ‘socially and economically imperative for the UAE’ to re-open school campuses, by keeping the health and safety of children at paramount importance.
In a virtual press meet organised by the Education Business Group, a recently – formed group that represents 100 private schools in Dubai, various heads of private school groups have said they are looking to adopt new operational methods. This includes the use of a ‘blended learning’ strategy and stringent sanitisation procedures to ensure child safety once schools re-open.
Blended learning is a practice of allowing some students to come into schools during the week while others continue distance education, thus reducing the number of students on-campus during a given time.
Schools groups such as GEMS Education have already created a ‘risk assessment document’, and the Taaleem group of schools are also in the process of creating their own set of guidelines to manage school education in a post-pandemic world.
The past few months have been economically challenging for schools, and have appealed for support from the government of UAE, said a few panellists.