Confirmed: Sharjah private schools to reopen campuses next academic year

The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) confirmed on Monday that students can resume their studies on-site in the next academic year in all private schools across the emirate.

Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi, chairperson of the SPEA, said that the authority would communicate directly with all private schools in the emirate, and in cooperation with relevant authorities, to ensure the implementation of precautionary measures in the educational institutions.

A health and safety officer will be appointed and trained in each school, in addition to licenced nursing staff, to ensure compliance with guidelines, controls and requirements, reported official news agency WAM.

SPEA will monitor the implementation of the precautionary measures by the administrative and teaching staff and will hence carry out a scheduled inspection tour while the schools prepare to reopen, and another one after the students return to the institutions.

As part of the preventive measures, schools will be required to take the temperature of everyone who enters the school campus daily.

They must also apply of the physical spacing procedures approved by the relevant health authorities in the emirate, reduce the absorptive capacity in the classroom, sterilise the buildings of educational institutions, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities periodically in accordance with the recommendations of the National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, and manage the school day for students to ensure physical distancing is implemented at all times, including during meals.

Al Hashimi said that the capacity of school buses too will be reduced so that they do not exceed 30 percent. The temperature of each passenger will monitored before they board the bus.

All support and maintenance services will be prohibited during the working hours of the institutions to limit the exposure of the staff and students to the service personnel.

The summer vacations for public and private schools that follow the UAE’s Ministry of Education’s curriculum will begin on July 2, with students commencing the next academic year on August 30.

Read more: UAE summer school holidays and reopening dates announced

The measures outlined by SPEA are in line with those laid out by the UAE’s Ministry of Education last week.

Read more: UAE issues guidelines on reopening schools, universities in September 2020