Dubai schools, parents weigh move to allow 100% distance learning
SCHOOL AUTHORITIES, PARENTS SPEAK OUT A DAY AFTER KHDA ALLOWS 100% DISTANCE LEARNING
UAE Editor
In person or online classes? Full fees or will there be some savings? These are the questions that parents in Dubai are asking after the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced on Wednesday that students in private schools can chose 100 per cent online classes instead of being physically present in school when the new academic year starts on August 30.
As the regulator allowed schools to provide the distance learning option for parents on request, schools sought to clarify some pressing concerns of students on how things will function and whether the distance learning model in the new term will be the same as that in the previous term.
80% going online
The Ambassador School in Dubai principal Sheela Menon told Gulf News: “We appreciate the flexible and compassionate approach of KHDA in announcing the 100% distance learning option for students. At Ambassador School, more than 80 per cent of parents opted for DL for the term starting August 30.”
She said, “For the coming term, in the initial months we are offering 80 per cent of distance learning and 20 per cent of on campus learning. Once a week, students will have the option to report to school, a small group at a time with a structured timetable and staggered timing.”
What about the fees?
GEMS Education, which has the largest number of school in Dubai, said it is also readying for the new normal.
Jodh Singh Dhesi, Deputy Chief Education Officer, GEMS
Education, told Gulf News: “At GEMS Education we are very excited at the prospect of seeing our students again faceto-face in September, as much as we have enjoyed our online interactions during the remote learning period. We are putting in place all the necessary health and safety requirements to ensure a secure return.”
As for the key question on whether distance learning will cost less, he said, “As per regulatory
guidance, school fees will remain the same.”
Blended environment
Even as schools are in the process of getting their reopening models approved, one GEMS school Al Khaleej National School Dubai, which has got its clearance, said it will follow the blended learning model. Ghadeer Abu-Shamat, Superintendent/CEO, Al Khaleej National School Dubai, said: “Grades 1-12 will be in a blended learning environment, where classes are split into two groups (A and B) to achieve social distancing.”
Different format
Another large education group, Taaleem, said it is also on top of things ahead of the reopening. Alan Williamson CEO Taaleem, told Gulf News, “Our schools will offer distance learning to children who are unwell, unable to come into school or for whom their parents would prefer them to stay at home. This option may not be in the same format as the one available in the previous term but will ensure continuity both in learning opportunities and with the school community, albeit at a distance.”
He also said, “The fees are not differentiated for on-site or distance learning.”