Covid-19 impact: 83% of students have opted for remote learning in UAE

Upto 201,797 school-going students across the UAE form part of the onsite, in-class learning system, making up 17.28 per cent of the total student population.

The residual 83 per cent of the student population has instead opted for the remote learning framework, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Omar Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, official spokesman of the UAE Government, said that the current academic year saw 1,025 schools deploy the distance learning system, representing 82.86 per cent of the total number of schools.

Meanwhile, 212 schools chose the in-person learning system, representing 17.14 per cent of the total pool.

Al Hammadi highlighted the UAE’s success in ensuring that the education sector came to speed in a short frame of time in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and ensuing social distancing protocols. The adoption of latest technologies aided the continuity of the education process.

Last month, Dubai’s education regulator Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) confirmed that Dubai schools must follow a seven-step protocol in case a student or staff member tests positive for the coronavirus infection.

Read: Seven steps Dubai schools must take if someone tests positive for Covid-19

In July, KHDA issued a list of 100-plus protocols for the re-opening of private schools across the emirate for the academic year 2020-21.

Read: KHDA issues list of protocols for reopening of private schools in Dubai

In the capital emirate of Abu Dhabi, all students studying in grade 6 and above are to have 100 per cent distance learning as their medium of instruction, it was announced on September 22.

Read: Abu Dhabi students in grade 6 and above will have 100% distance learning

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah, students continued 100 per cent e-learning for the first four weeks of the new term. Starting Sunday, September 27, the Sharjah Private Education Authority, said that students could return to their campus for face-to-face learning.

Read more: Sharjah private schools to permit campus attendance from September 27

Also read: ‘Group of schools’ in UAE instructed to implement 100% distance learning as suspected Covid-19 cases detected