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Covid-19 tests not mandatory for students in Dubai returning to school – KHDA

All school staff are required to take a Covid-19 PCR test prior to the start of term, the cost of which will be borne by the government

by Zainab Mansoor

August 25, 2020

Students returning to private schools across Dubai to mark the beginning of the new academic year need not undergo a Covid-19 PCR test, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has said.

Students, however, who display symptoms of the coronavirus are to undergo testing, local media reports confirmed.

Meanwhile, all school staff are required to take a Covid-19 PCR test prior to the start of term, the cost of which will be borne by the Dubai Government.

Any staff member who has had a recent Covid-19 test, and can produce a copy of the results, will be exempt from the requirement.

In July, Dubai’s education regulator issued a list of 100-plus protocols for the re-opening of private schools across Dubai.

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

Moreover, an AI-powered mobile app designed to equip schools to meet Covid-19 safety protocols has also been launched.

Private schools in Dubai have been given the leeway to choose an approach suitable to them, and have the option of providing either partial or full distance learning alternatives depending on their agreement with parents.

Also read: Private schools in Dubai can opt for a suitable teaching approach

Meanwhile, Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority has capped the number of students in school buses to 50 per cent of the bus capacity in a measure to ensure the safety of school-going children.