Dubai: Saudi Arabia has postponed resumption of in-person classes for students under the age of 12 until the completion of scientific studies about the COVID-19 epidemiological risks to this age group, local media reported.
“The in-person classes for students at elementary schools and kindergartens, which were scheduled to resume on October 31, has been postponed until the completion of scientific studies on the epidemiological risks to this category to ensure their safety as well as the safety of their families,” said the spokesman of the Public Education on Tuesday.
The spokesman said that the Ministry of Education will continue its efforts to provide distance education for this age group through the “Madrasati” online learning platform for the elementary level and the “Rawdati” platform at kindergarten level.
He said that there has been an integration of efforts between the ministries of education and health to continue regular in-person classes for those students who received two doses of vaccine against coronavirus in the intermediate and secondary phases of public education.
The precautionary measures and health protocols approved by the Public Health Authority (Weqaya) will be applied strictly in order to ensure the protection and safety of students, the spokesman added.
In-person classes for students of the intermediate and secondary levels of public education in the public, private and foreign schools as well as for students of universities and technical and vocational education institutes across the Kingdom started on August 29 at the beginning of the new academic year.
Only those students who received two doses of vaccine are allowed to attend the in-person education. The Ministry of Education announced earlier that in-person classes for students at elementary schools and kindergartens will be linked either to achieving herd immunity by receiving two doses of vaccine by 70 per cent of the Saudi population or on October 30, whichever comes first.
