Combating coronavirus: 100% e-learning among 3 models for Sharjah students in new term

Parents in Sharjah can opt for one of three learning models for their children when in-person classes resume at schools from the new academic year. "This flexible plan will ensure the restart of the education process and gradual return to face-to-face learning," Sharjah's education regulator Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) said on Tuesday.
100% e-learning
If parents are reluctant to send their children to schools in the first phase of reopening, they can choose the 100 per cent distance learning option. Students will continue e-learning after the summer break, as they had been doing since March as a precautionary measure against the spread of Covid-19.
This follows similar announcements by education regulators in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, who had directed schools to offer the 100 per cent e-learning option to parents who are not comfortable sending their children to campus.
Gradual return
All schools will "gradually invite" students to campus "until they reach the target capacity for their reopening", according to the SPEA.
Use of electronic platforms
All schools will continue using their electronic platforms and "allocate daily time for distance learning".
"This is to compensate for the short school day and meet the minimum requirements of hours per school year," the authority said.
As Khaleej Times reported on Monday, students, staff and teachers returning to schools from the new academic year will need a negative Covid-19 test result.
A document of guidelines released by the authority stated that no student, teacher or staff will be allowed to join the school without the negative result. The authority had advised school heads to be aware of the Covid-19 test schedule, "which would impact their operational reopening plan". "This might result in teachers, staff and students joining their school in batches," the SPEA said.
Students aged above six years are required to wear masks and schools must ensure a 1.5-metre social distance between them.
Campus learning was suspended across all educational institutions in the UAE in March, as part of precautionary measures to limit the spread of Covid-19. Students in the country continued their education in the safety of their homes as education was imparted via video conferencing apps.
sahim@khaleejtimes.com