Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Split on School Reopening
Parents in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have received contrasting news on school re-opening. While schools in Sharjah will be fully operational from Sunday 27th September, students in Year 7 (Grade 6) and above in Abu Dhabi will continue with distance learning.
Schools in Sharjah were initially supposed to reopen on August 31st along with schools in other emirates. On August 25th, however, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) announced that schools would adopt 100 percent distance learning for the first two weeks of the academic year. A further two weeks was added because of the ‘health status’ in Sharjah, according to SPEA.
Come Sunday, schools in Sharjah will be subject to the same precautionary measures which have already become familiar to children, teachers and parents in Dubai, namely temperature checks, reduced bus and classroom capacity, the wearing of masks and frequent sanitation.
Meanwhile, the decision to prolong distance learning inn Abu Dhabi was announced via the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Committee to Combat Covid-19.
While Years 7 to 9 will continue distance learning, students in Years 10 to 13 (grades 9 to 12) have been given the option to attend in-person classes if they are taking international exams in 2021.
The majority of children between four and 11 in the emirate already returned to in-person classes on August 30
