UAE: New film tells story of Dubai schools' resilience during Covid-19; watch video

The film offers rare insights into how different members of the community responded to the pandemic

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Nandini Sircar

Published: Fri 18 Feb 2022, 1:44 PM

Last updated: Fri 18 Feb 2022, 10:59 PM

A new video series exploring behind-the-scenes stories of how Dubai’s schools came together during the Covid-19 pandemic has been released.

Featuring parents, students, teachers and government officials, the film offers rare insights into how different members of the community responded to the pandemic and worked together to ensure the continuity of children's education.

The 20-minute documentary chronicles events from the time when Covid cases were first reported and various countries began imposing lockdowns.

In a tweet posted by the Dubai Media Office, Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said: “Our education community has been through a lot in a short time. We made this documentary to give an opportunity for teachers, leaders, parents and students to tell their stories, and to acknowledge the commitment that members of Dubai’s educational community have shown to ensuring everyone’s well-being as well as to safeguarding the sector. This documentary gives us the space to reflect on an event that has undoubtedly brought us closer and made us stronger.”

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Through testimonies from parents, students and teachers, the documentary reflects on how Dubai’s private schools first transitioned to distance learning.

Members of the KHDA retrospectively look upon how Dubai residents and businesses stood by each other in the early days of the pandemic, acting as a bulwark for each other.

During that period, the KHDA reportedly received over 2,000 e-mails and phone calls, and more than 12,000 messages on social media.

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The video also gives a sneak-peek into the unpublicised perspectives on how health and safety protocols for schools were dexterously developed and implemented with other Dubai Government teams.

The documentary also reflects on how the pandemic has led to altered expectations in the education sector and the future of education in the emirate.