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Tribune News Network
Doha
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education is preparing to launch a distinct educational platform for students soon to successfully complete the distance education process.
This was revealed by Fawzia Al Khater, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, during a programme on Qatar Radio.
She said the ministry’s integrated education plan combines two features -- distance learning and attendance in the classroom -- in order to compensate the educational losses incurred by students during the previous period since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Al Khater said the previous plan was modified based on new data in the development of coronavirus cases. The modified plan was in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health through permanent coordination and almost daily meetings to find out the latest developments.
She stressed the importance of students attending schools, as they will obtain experiences, knowledge, skills and other aspects which they will not be able to obtain except by their presence in the school.
In preparation for reopening of schools, she said, the school administrations are required to send messages, emails or communicate by telephone to inform parents about schedules of their children and the dates of their attendance in school.
She called on all parents to keep track of all the messages they receive from schools and communicate with the school administration in this regard.
Regarding coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, she said there was constant coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and other bodies since the beginning of the pandemic.
“A team was formed and there were periodic meetings to study the situation and developments. The plan was amended after the emergence of more cases. It was changed from 50 percent attendance of students to 30 percent in schools,”she said.
Al Khater stressed the directives of HE the Prime Minister to conduct medical examinations inside schools for all administrative and academic staff to ensure the safety of all.
The back-to-school plan includes the following:
* The number of students in a class should not exceed 15, with 1.5 m distancing between students.
* The classes should be divided to prevent all students from being present at the same time.
* There will no canteens or cafeterias, and reliance on bringing meals from home.
* Periodic sterilization of classrooms and school premises
* Periodic inspection and providing training to staff on how to deal with this.
Al Khater reassured parents that the ministry is making every effort to make the school environment safe to receive students.
Regarding the first school days, she stressed the importance of attending the class on the first day as the schools will provide advice to students, especially those of a young age, about the precautionary measures and the student’s schedule and place in the class.“There will be a great focus on awareness of precautionary measures, in addition to training students in the distance learning process - distributing books,” she said.
The school hours for the student will be a maximum of two days per week.
Al Khater called on parents to cooperate for the success of this period.
She reassured parents that the plan is flexible. “If any changes occur or an amendment to the plan, then that will be in the best interest of the children. There is a protocol in case of detection of coronavirus among students or teachers. All the procedures followed are applied to all public and private schools because they need everyone’s commitment to them,” she said.
With regard to school buses, she said parents have been contacted and all students benefiting from the delivery via school buses are counted, as the expected number on buses will be 30 percent.
She called on parents to register early for the buses and communicate with the school administration.
Al Khater said there are some schools that are not overcrowded, in which the student’s attendance will be 100 percent.
Al Khater urged people to create a safe learning environment at home to complete distance learning through the use of devices and communication with teachers.
She urged them to comply with provision of a device for each student with the specifications set by the Ministry of Education.
