Reopening responsibly: Dubai schools start collecting travel, health forms from students

Schools in Dubai have started collecting travel and health declaration forms from staff and students ahead of reopening on August 30.
The collected data will be assessed to ensure that students who have opted for on-campus learning meet the return criteria.
Dubai's education regulator Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) had earlier mandated schools to collect the forms that detail travel history and existing diseases, among other information.
Students and staff returning to schools in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah need to present a Covid-negative result before joining.
Contact tracing
School leaders said the data collected from the forms will help "filter relevant information" to enable a safe reopening.
Mala Mehra, principal of Central School, explained: "The travel form has details pertaining to the destination, arrival and departure dates, and socialisation information during travel. The medical form (will have declarations about) chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, heart and kidney diseases and Covid-19."
While schools have been given the liberty to customise the form's template, institutions are required to abide by contact tracing procedures.
Mehra said: "Additionally, a contact tracing form has the record of students and staff movement on campus; arrival and exit timings; body temperatures; social distancing adherence; and health and hygiene in line with Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Ministry of Education guidelines."
Risk assessment questions
Schools have put in place effective training, monitoring, follow-up and support systems to ensure health and safety. This includes health and safety officers who have been assigned to monitor movement in corridors and common areas. Student movement will also be monitored to ensure contact tracing is done if a case is detected.
Amity School Dubai Principal Sangita Chima said: "We have started distributing the forms and parents are required to send across all relevant information to their respective class teachers before school reopens. Data that is collected will be reviewed to ensure that students that have opted for face-to-face learning meet the criteria for return.
"Detailed frequently asked questions, guidelines, policies and procedures have been shared with parents. Our declaration forms include risk assessment questions that highlight Covid-19 symptoms and signs of low immunity among students. Travel declaration forms are aimed at identifying students, parents and staff that may have travelled during the summer," Chima added.
Counselling, assistance
School counsellors and senior leadership teams will address parents' and students' queries pertaining to the reopening.
Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal of Credence High School, said: "We have initiated the collection of the declaration forms from our staff and students. The form has been designed to collect all relevant information so as to help in contact tracing and to give individual support as and when needed. All protocols as per the guidelines given by KHDA and DHA are in place for the reopening of the school. Mental and physical wellness of our students and staff has been given top priority."
Zubair Ahmad, head of operations, Springdales School Dubai, said the school shared a back-to-school circular with staff and students in June. "It stated that anybody travelling this year or who has been outside the country must return at least 20 days prior to reopening to make sure that the compulsory quarantine period is over and they procure a DHA clearance for being Covid-19 free."
nandini@khaleejtimes.com