Full marks to e-learning
Student of Indian school in Dubai tests positive for Covid-19; Institutions resort to remote education to make up for closure; CBSE and other state board exams in UAE on schedule
DUBAI — Learning will continue unhindered in the UAE despite a four-week closure of all educational institutions starting Sunday, as schools and colleges are introducing e-learning for their students.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education (MoE), it has introduced a self-learning programme as part of its plans to continue the learning process during times of natural crises and disasters. Through e-learning, students will be provided lessons in the main subjects from the MoE curriculum, including Arabic language, English, Maths, Physics and Science.
On Wednesday, the MoE announced that it had began the distribution of 50,000 computers and laptops to students from Grades 5 to 9 in 151 government schools.
While the Dubai Health Authority said a 16-year-old student of an Indian school in Dubai has tested positive for Covid-19, Indian missions and schools confirmed that the Central Board of Secondary Education and other state board Grade 10 and 12 examinations in the UAE will go ahead as planned.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Grade 10 and 12 examinations will go ahead as planned, several schools told Khaleej Times. Stringent hygiene protocols will be adopted by schools to ensure the safety of test-takers amid the Covid-19 situation.
Concerns about the examination were raised following the Ministry of Education’s decision to start the spring break on Sunday. The board’s Grade 10 examinations began on February 15 and will end on March 20. Grade 12 exams began on February 22 and will continue until March 30.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE confirmed that all CBSE, Kerala State Board, and other state board examinations for Grade 10 and 12 students will be conducted according to schedule.
In a written statement to the media, the embassy said: “The mission has taken up the issue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Ministry of Education, and the Department of Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge.
“All have assured us that the examinations for classes 10, 11 and 12 boards will continue to be held as scheduled, with additional health and safety protocols.”
Directive acknowledged
School managements in the country have acknowledged the CBSE exam directive.
An official with the Indian High School said: “Unless and until the board advises otherwise, we will carry on organising the exams for students.”
Grade 10 and 12 students will
take the CBSE Board Examination 2020 as scheduled, said the GEMS United Indian School.
Zubair Ahmed, head of HR and administration at the Springdale School Dubai, said: “All board exams will follow the schedule. This directive has come from the board in India.”
Keeping exam venues safe
At one of the biggest board exam centres in the UAE — the Sharjah Indian School (SIS) — some 1,500 students from other schools attempt the exams on the campus and 1,072 students from Sharjah Indian schools are taking the
exam this year. To curb the potential spread of diseases in such a crowd, certain measures were put in place, said EP Johnson, president of Indian Association in Sharjah, the body that manages SIS.
“In the classrooms, as per CBSE directive, 24 students are allowed per class. We will maintain that number and the students will be seated further two metres apart to maintain safety and hygiene,” said Johnson.
Hand sanitisers were also installed on the campus, and the school will be thoroughly cleaned several times a day, he added.
“If students and staff need masks, the school will provide those as well.” Then, after both internal and CBSE exams are over, the school will be closed as per directives from the MoE.