A year and a half after schools in Saudi Arabia reverberated to the sound of children filing into classrooms, 6 million pupils arrived for in-person lessons on Sunday with Covid-19 precautions in place.
Secondary, middle and high school pupils formed lines outside their schools to show their vaccination status on the kingdom's Tawakkalna app on the first day of the new academic year.
The first class of the day was a 10-minute guide to the precautionary measures brought in by the ministries of health and education. All children must maintain social distancing and wear a mask during school hours.
Schools have been asked to cancel any academic or co-curricular activity, including assemblies, which compromise with social-distancing regulations.
While children over 12 – eligible for a vaccine in the kingdom – are back in school for in-person teaching, elementary pupils will continue to study remotely until October 30 or until the kingdom reaches herd immunity, the Education Ministry said.
"It was so strange, letting my child take his phone to school and just watch him and others queue outside his school in a mask, it's unlike anything I could have imagined," Ms Ayman, a mother of two in Jeddah who declined to give her first name, told The National.
"It's frightening to see what could happen in the world and how vulnerable we are, but at the same time, today gave me hope that things are getting better."
This school year, if any pupil tests positive for Covid-19, the entire class will be sent home and asked to quarantine for 10 days. To try and prevent that from happening, numerous measures have been brought in.
Desks are now placed two metres apart or divided by sterilised screens and classrooms will not be overcrowded.
The health authorities described masks and vaccinations as the “gateway” to pursuing education in school.
"It was hard explaining to my 6-year-old daughter that she cannot go to the canteen or play closely with her friends during the lunch break,” Jasmine Abdullah, an American citizen living in the kingdom, said.
“This year, apart from stationary we added more supplies like sanitisers, wipes and masks – these are the new essentials now."
Education Minister Hamad Al Sheikh said the safety of children and staff was the top priority and that SR1 billion ($266.6 million) had been spent on equipping schools with precautionary health measures and resources to ensure a safe return to in-person classes.
Prince Faisal bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Al Jawf region in the north, visited Saraqa bin Malik Intermediate School in Sakaka to see preparations for the new school year and thanked the ministries for supporting education.
The Education Ministry said that attendance at universities and technical colleges would be limited to those who had been fully vaccinated. Schools and universities will not start marking absentees for a couple of weeks to allow pupils and students to complete their inoculation, it said.
"In order to ensure the regularity of the educational process for our students, and to preserve their safety as well as [that of] families and society, it was decided to postpone calculating absences in the first two weeks for university students and technical and vocational training students who did not complete two doses of the vaccines," a ministry representative said.
More than 93 per cent of pupils have so far received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia and 37 per cent had received two doses, the Education Ministry said last week.
"As for university and higher education, 85 per cent of students received one dose and 59 per cent completed their vaccinations."
The ministry called on pupils to get vaccinated “in order to return safely back to schools, achieve herd immunity so we can return to normal life".
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Squads
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
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