The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and Primary Health Care Corporation, is organising a series of workshops on the precautionary measures for a safe return to school.
In a notification on social media on Sunday, the MoPH said the workshops will be held via remotely from Monday until August 30 with the participation of school directors and workers engaged in the field of health and safety at schools.
The workshops are aimed at reducing the risks of Covid-19 infection within a safe educational environment that allows the continuity of the educational process, the notification points out.
In addition, they will introduce the school staff to the precautionary and preventive measures in place and their roles and responsibilities in dealing with different scenarios. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education recently announced the amended back-to-school plan, which includes the implementation of a blended learning system during the first term of the 2020/2021 academic year across all educational stages, including government and private schools, higher education institutes and kindergartens.
The amendment came after a co-ordination meeting with the MoPH regarding the precautionary and preventive measures against Covid-19, and mitigating the academic consequences of school closures and delaying the beginning of the new academic year. Schools will inform the parents concerned through SMS about the in-school days of attendance for each student, under the blended learning system.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has also announced the availability of a technical support hotline, 155, for students and parents. Blended learning combines online learning and in-person teaching in the classroom. Students will attend classes 1-3 times a week to do coursework, experiments and exams. From September 1-3, students are to be informed about the blended learning approach in schools.
During the first term, schools will receive only 30% of its students capacity to attend in-person classes on daily basis. Each student should attend in-person, one to three classes a week, as assigned by the school.