All UAE schools, universities to implement e-learning until June 2020 as a part of Coronavirus precaution.

The Ministry of Education is likely to declare that the distance e-education system will be prolonged until the end of the current academic year ending June 2020. This include all students of schools and public and private universities. Only exams will be held within these educational organizations. This is as a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

The ministry has not yet publicized its final decision on the matter, but it is expected to announce its decision imminently, in light of the impacts of the spread of Covid-19 in various countries around the globe. The ministry has shaped an expanded committee that comprises educational and administrative officials from several central departments in its head office in Dubai, to provide the special needs of the distance education system.

The committee presents a detailed study on the repercussions of the Covid-19, and the extent of its impact on the progress of the educational process in the occasion of the recommencement of studies inside schools, after the end of the spring vacation, and the application of the distance education system during the period from March 22 to April 2.

The committee will deliver a complete evaluation of the experience of distance education in all its phases, during its application in the mentioned period in all schools and universities, and then formulate a comprehensive report for its evaluation. This committee will also work to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of distance education, to take the suitable decision about remaining to work until the end of the academic year or the recommencement of studies after the stated period.

In the past two days, private schools in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have tested with the technical applications, through which the distance education initiative will be executed, in addition to adopting the class schedules and exams for this system. Departments of those schools sent a detailed description to the students and their parents about the usage of those interactive applications. Under these applications, each student and parent will be given with a password that allows the student to use the application, and aids the guardian to follow and be added to his/her sons classroom. These applications benefit all students to connect from within their homes with their teachers in schools, audio and video, and send their notes and questions about teachings interactively.

These applications also permit students to send their assignments back to their teachers for correction and to resubmit them to students with a complete explanation of the errors, as well as to enable the guardian to monitor his/her sons interactions and behaviors, and to receive full reports on the students grades in different subjects.

In the context of the preparations of educational institutions in the country to implement the initiative on time, private schools in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have adopted interactive class schedules for the distance education system. Those schools distributed class schedules on their website, and sent copies of them to parents and students from the 5th grade to the 10th grade only, confirming that the rest of the schedules will be sent soon.
Later, Arabic daily Al Bayan quoted a source at the Ministry of Education as saying the four-week break for schools, universities and colleges will continue unchanged.

However, the ministry is studying all options with other related authorities to take the proper actions for the safety of students.
The source said the present situation requires them to consider all possibilities to safeguard the safety of students and the school staff.