After an early two-week spring break that begins this Sunday, hundreds of thousands of pupils will return to school.
But they won't be at their desks.
Schools across the country will remain closed for a further two weeks after the holiday. The government said it made the decision on Tuesday night as a precaution to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Covid-19 virus only affects a fraction of one per cent of children, but as with any country, huge daily movements of people can spread disease – especially a contagious one like coronavirus.
We haven't mandated that school uniforms must be worn - but we've asked for no pyjamas and no swimwear
So how will pupils – facing tough exams, international competition for university places and global education targets – keep up?
Dubai College gave The National a demonstration of its Skype-style classroom system.
It allows teachers to give lessons in real-time to pupils at home using a combination of Microsoft 365 – used for presentations in the business world – and the video-conferencing app Cisco Webex.
Each pupil reports in online and settles down for class. They are even expected to dress smart – "no pyjamas and no swimwear".
“I get a picture of all them and then check the register to see they are all present,” said physics teacher Regina O’Dwyer, standing at an electronic white board at the school in Al Sufouh.
“Then I share the board I am working on with them. I will give them work to do in their virtual exercise books then.
“I can go in and out to check their progress and I can see them at all times.”
She said challenges would not come from pupils or staff struggling to adapt but from connectivity issues as the whole country logs on at 7.30am. There are more than 1,200 schools in the UAE and 1.1 million pupils, according to the Ministry of Education.
“Is the bandwidth going to be able to cope with every pupil in the country suddenly live-streaming all day?
“All the lessons will be recorded though and a link will be available if students can’t connect initially,” Ms O’Dwyer said.
Schools across the country are preparing for the coming weeks – many may not already have such systems in place – but in the long run, pupils may tire of the e-lessons between 7.45am and 3.35pm.
“Two weeks is fine but if it goes on any longer they are going to get lonely just sitting at home and they will lose that connectivity they get from being with others in school,” she said.
“Even with the best will in the world, it’s going to be hard for pupils unless they are very dedicated and motivated.”
Headteacher Michael Lambert said the school recognises that flexibility is needed, with children sitting in their home environment, but said standards must be adhered to.
Is the bandwidth going to be able to cope with every pupil in the country suddenly live streaming all day?
“We haven’t mandated that school uniforms must be worn – but we’ve asked for no pyjamas and no swimwear,” he said.
“Staff need to dress professionally while students need to dress respectfully.
“We are running a regular school day except it’s online, we have 50-minute lessons, which will be reduced to 40 minutes.
“There will be a 10-minute transition for pupils and teachers to disconnect from screens.
“This means they wouldn’t be staring at a computer screen for the entire duration of the day.”
Heavy rain and widespread flooding in the 2019/2020 academic year has already led to school closures and missed lessons.
The home-learning system could be introduced next time that happens, he said.
"We live in an age of pandemic; we've seen Sars, Mers, Ebola and now coronavirus. It's only [going] to keep coming because we live in an increasingly globalised world," Mr Lambert said.
“In terms of continuity for schools, everyone’s got to have a plan because if it’s not coronavirus then it will be something else.
“We are all going to be in this situation again and while teaching remotely online is not a perfect solution, it is what we will have to turn to when scenarios like this occur.”
Tuesday evening’s announcement meant spring break, which was due to begin on March 29, was brought forward by two weeks.
This would then be followed by two weeks of home-teaching in which students would be taught online until April 5.
Almost 1,000 students at Dubai College were being put through their paces on how exactly the set-up would work on Wednesday.
Mr Lambert asked parents, many of whom may need to take time off or work from home, to try to set aside a workspace.
“A child might need to be in a bedroom, especially if they are in a small apartment and need somewhere quiet to study,” he said.
“We will be as open and transparent as we possibly can and will have a digital recording of each and every lesson to ensure all child protection and safety standards are upheld.”
The years Ramadan fell in May
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Match info:
Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')
Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
