Private schools said they were ready to welcome back pupils in September and urged the authorities to ease regulations.
At an online meeting on Thursday organised by Education Business Group, a private school association representing more than 100 schools, executives discussed how they could bring back more than 800,000 pupils into classrooms.
Schools are set to return for the new academic year in September but expect to run a "blended" programme with lessons taught in school and at home. No decision has yet been made by the authorities.
Some school groups said they needed flexibility to put staff on reduced wages or on unpaid leave, and even asked the government for financial support.
Our human resource expenses are 60-70 per cent, so we need flexibility to perhaps furlough staff and decide how we manage our staff
"The health pandemic has forced all schools in the UAE to shut down and we faced logistical and operation problems," said Ajay Mankani, director of Fortes Holdings, which runs schools and nurseries across the country.
"We are asking for support from the government. We are asking for flexibility in choosing our operating models."
Mr Mankani claimed easing regulations on teaching (subjects and timetables) may be needed to continue running.
“We need flexibility in terms of our human resource practices," he said.
"Our human resource expenses are 60 to 70 per cent, so we need flexibility to perhaps furlough staff and decide how we manage our staff, while keeping with the regulations of the UAE".
"If, on the other hand, the government allows schools to open physically in September, and gives schools the flexibility to choose their operating model, whether blended or in staggered shifts, schools would not need to furlough staff. In fact, many schools may need to hire additional staff because of social distancing protocols that limit class sizes."
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Coronavirus latest: images around the UAE
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Alan Williamson, chief executive at Taaleem, which runs 13 private schools, stressed the need to have pupils back in the classroom.
"The economy needs parents at the workplace and not at home educating their children," he said.
"The private sector in UAE employs more than 50,000 teachers in education and that is a major massive part of the workforce.
"Opening schools is the best way of ensuring those 50,000 jobs are secure.
“It is imperative that schools open not only from an economic perspective but from a social perspective."
Mr Williamson said the UAE had the advantage of learning from countries that allowed pupils to return before the summer.
“We are watching Scandinavia, the Far East and Europe so that UAE schools will have a tremendous advantage when they open," he said.
"We saw that when we transformed our schools in a week and we are ready to transform our schools back into the new norm."
Mr Williamson said the group was working with education regulators, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai and the Department of Education and Knowledge in Abu Dhabi, to find the best way to bring back pupils in September.
"Schools need to open for the well-being of children," he said.
"The social aspect is being missed. We are missing science labs, sports fields, dance studios and arts studios. We are missing the totality of the curriculum."
Last week, a global poll found four out of five teachers said it was not yet safe to return to the school.
The poll involved more than 4,000 teachers from 33 countries at the T4 Conference, one of the world’s largest education fairs.
Sir Christopher Stone, global chief education officer at Gems Education, said that while there is a certain amount that could be taught online, children need to interact.
Mr Stone said online learning might leave behind children who are more vulnerable, or those who had special needs, or some who needed team work to succeed.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Spider-Man%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Insomniac%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%20Sony%20Interactive%20Entertainment%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPlayStation%205%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
More coverage from the Future Forum
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
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High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
