PRINCIPALS SET SIGHTS ON FULL RETURN OF PUPILS
▶ Abu Dhabi authorities say children can return to classrooms next month
School principals have said they hope all pupils will return to in-person classes in the new academic year, which starts on August 29.
Thousands of pupils aged 12 and above have been vaccinated against Covid-19, paving the way for a full return to inperson lessons and activities, principals said.
The Abu Dhabi authorities have approved the return of pupils to classrooms in the new term, although the Dubai authorities have not confirmed whether distance learning arrangements will continue into the next academic year.
Private schools in Dubai have been open for children to attend in-person classes since August last year.
Lisa Johnson, principal at the American Academy for Girls in Dubai, said about half of the 500 pupils at her school had been attending in-person classes before the summer break, while the others chose online learning.
“We are certainly hoping that all pupils will be attending in-person classes next year, as our large number of online learners has made monitoring academics and wellness incredibly challenging,” she said.
“The challenge at the moment is planning during this interim period without guidelines as the space requirements, food service and even instructional model are affected by the number of pupils in-person and those attending online.”
She said the school was prepared to respond to the needs of pupils who felt anxious about returning to classrooms.
“We anticipate that parents will feel confident that the health of their children is not at risk levels as high as the initial outbreak and will want all pupils to attend face-to-face classes,” she said.
“We have many pupils that have received the vaccine and our number of positive cases has dramatically decreased, which supports our hope that all pupils will be able to join in-person classes beginning in the autumn.”
Fifty-two per cent of pupils in Dubai were attending inperson lessons by the end of last term, the highest number since private schools reopened their doors last year, said a Knowledge and Human Development Authority report published last month.
Ambassador School in Dubai has more than 1,300 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 12. Forty-seven per cent attended in-person classes before the summer holidays. The rest continued to learn online.
Sheela Menon, principal at the school, said its most recent survey showed that nearly seven in 10 pupils were willing to attend face-to-face classes after the holidays.
“Children need to be back in school, interacting with their friends and teachers, engaging in collaborative experiential learning and play,” she said.
“The sooner this happens the better it is for their mental and physical well-being.
“After nearly 16 months of adjusting to the ‘new normal’ and staying away from the regular, on-campus school practices, there is a need for increased focus on bridging the emotional gaps in children.”
She said proper planning by the school would allow it to accommodate the return of pupils while adhering to physical distancing measures in classrooms and school transport.
With all staff members vaccinated against Covid-19 and the possibility of teenagers also being inoculated, parents are now more willing to send their children to school, Ms Menon said.
Dr Beno Kurien, principal at International Indian School Abu Dhabi, said he expected the majority of pupils to be back in the classroom in the new term.
Before the summer holidays began, half of the 850 pupils enrolled at the school were studying online.
He said many parents asked about a return to in-person classes in August.
“As Adek [the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge] revised the social distancing from 1.5 metres to one metre, we hope we would be able to accommodate more students from August,” he said.
“We expect 70 to 80 per cent of pupils to come back to school from August.”
The school will offer online or hybrid classes to pupils who prefer remote learning.
The authorities in Sharjah have not confirmed whether private schools will resume in-person lessons in August.
In the Northern Emirates, private schools expect to continue in-person education, although they are awaiting a final directive from the authorities.