UAE: Schools told to train alternative teaching staff for Covid emergencies

Abu Dhabi - Move to ensure continuity of in-class lessons when schools open in September.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has advised schools to train in advance alternative teaching staff who will stand in for teachers who might be quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19 or had contact with patients.

The move is to ensure continuity of in-class lessons when schools open in September.

The ministry also asked the institutions to develop a concept for all subjects and how to teach students especially in schools that opt for the hybrid learning model (in-class learning for two days and three for e-learning).

It said students will be required to physically attend exams at schools.

The MoE urged firms providing transportation services to adhere to the approved capacity in school buses and to register students’ names on daily lists, ensuring bus drivers and supervisors follow health and safety measures including wearing masks and maintaining physical distance in buses.

It also highlighted the need to educate their staff about the importance of adhering to safety measures including maintaining social distance and sterilising the buses before and after every trip to control the spread of Covid-19.

Reporting Covid cases

It also specified regulations to track contact cases and report health problems associated with the Coronavirus. If a student or a staff has been infected with Covid-19, the school should check the attendance data to find out those who were in close contact with the infected person during the previous two days starting from the date of collecting the swab sample.

Students who were in close contact with the infected person will be sent home and told to follow the quarantine rules. They should be advised on the possible Covid symptoms and the importance of adhering to the necessary health procedures.

The school must inform the concerned health authorities about cases of Covid infection and the number of people who are likely to be exposed to the virus. The infected student or school staff will have to show proof of treatment and the completion of the imposed quarantine requirements to be allowed back to the campus.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi