And it’s finally here! Isn’t this the news UAE parents are waiting to hear -especially in the current scenario? The Ministry of Education has announced the end of term dates for all private and public schools in the UAE. Summer break for UAE kids will begin from 2 July. Besides, July 9 will be the last day at work for teachers and other staff. Officials have clarified there had been no change to the original dates announced earlier.
In addition, a school calendar for the 2020-2021 academic year is also released. The first day of the next academic year will be on 30 August. With the pandemic spreading like fire, schools in the UAE closed for an early Spring break. Following this, e-learning has been adopted as the new system of education. Most school curriculums do not have final exams this year and the vast majority of pupils heading to university are to be judged on coursework and previous achievement.
What Else?
In a recent meeting, Fawzia Gharib, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for the school operations sector, mentioned that that e-learning could continue as part of three scenarios devised by the Ministry of Education.
As per the first scenario, e-learning will continue to remain the sole medium of education. This is in case Covid persists in the country. The second scenario is a transitional phase which involves a gradual comeback after the virus subsides. In this case, the country will slowly creep back to normalcy and direct education will return at a rate ranging between 30-50 per cent.
The third scenario will be a combination of the first two. This will be implemented in the event that life returns to normal. This will involve 70 per cent direct education and 30 per cent e-learning. This way, technological development and the transition to digital education can be maintained.
Gharib also mentioned to Gulf News that each scenario has a time frame and if the scenario continues, e-learning will extend into the next academic year as well.
Well, as of now, everything remains fluid and the only thing we can do is truly hope for things to get better.