COVID-19: Abu Dhabi schools safe for children to return, Adek reassures

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi students have been back on school campuses physically for nearly two weeks, and education sector officials have reassured parents about safety at educational institutions.

The emirate’s education sector regulator, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), confirmed that officials have been conducting rigorous inspections since schools resumed in-person classes in August 2020, and that these have ensured that schools are as safe as possible. The inspections have covered 221 private and charter schools in the emirate, as well as 120 nurseries.

“Additionally, all schools should have a COVID-19 taskforce to manage any incident, and they must have nominated a school compliance officer to ensure safety regulations are being followed. We also focus on updates and accuracy in information, and ensure that [health information] is clearly available to all staff and students,” he added.

Distance learning was mandated at schools in Abu Dhabi emirate for the first few weeks of the school term that began on January 3. In the meantime, the Adek vaccinated more than 60 per cent of school staff, and released schedules for free COVID-19 screenings for students and staff. This time around, even the youngest children who had returned from abroad were tested via saliva PCR screenings before being allowed to return to school campuses.

School heads told Gulf News that a good proportion of students in higher grade levels had opted for face-to-face learning this term.

Classrooms can now accommodate up to 30 students at a time, as long as 1.5-metre social distancing is ensured. The class size is capped at 25 students for kindergarten levels, and at 10-student bubbles for younger children.

The Adek has also introduced stiff penalties, up to Dh250,000 in case of lack of compliance with regulatory safety measures.

Parents have also expressed their satisfaction with safety measures. “My three-year-old has been restless at home for a long time, so I was only too glad to send him back. He enjoys the social interaction, and it lets me focus on caring for my infant daughter,” said Reema A, an Egyptian architect and mother-of-two.

Another mother, C.Z., said her two pre-teen children – aged 12 and 14 - had been waiting to return to school. As part of Abu Dhabi’s phased return plan to classrooms, her children had been learning remotely since March 2020.

“My children are old enough to be study independently, so they didn’t find distance learning to be too much of a challenge. But they were very much bored at home, and were waiting to get back to the classroom in person. As a mother, I am happy that they can now return safely,” she said.

Penalties include stiff fines ranging from Dh10,000 to Dh250,000. Repeated non-compliance can lead to school being shifted to distance learning, and parents can be allowed to remove their children from school and obtain fee refunds. Non-compliant nurseries can be immediately shifted to remote learning and fined.

The Adek focuses on 62 different criteria when conducting school inspections, including the following:

-Social distancing provisions

-Mask wearing

-COVID-19 testing adherence

-Regular and frequent on-premise cleaning and disinfection

-Classroom capacity

-Provision of personal protective equipment

-COVID-19 school taskforce, with school compliance officer

-Provision of updates and information to Adek

-Availability of clear health information