Tens of thousands of university students in the UAE will sit in-person exams this month, many for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Universities implemented strict safety measures to allow tests to be held on campus – a significant step forward for the higher education sector.
Students will have to wear masks at all times on campus, and those who are unvaccinated will need to provide negative PCR test results before being allowed to enter the exam hall.
Some higher education institutions held in-person assessments in December but students had to wear masks, and gloves while writing or typing, which frustrated many.
This is the university's effort to bring everyone back
University of Sharjah is holding its spring semester final exams from May 15 to May 26.
Dr Hussein El Mahdi, dean of academic support services at the university, said 10,000 students would take the exams on campus.
Close to 4,000 students were able to sit in-person exams in batches in the autumn semester.
In the autumn "we limited the number to 200 students on campus [at a time] ... as that was our first experience," Dr El Mahdi said.
"This is our second time holding exams on campus during the pandemic.
"The main reason we went with this is that our ability to deal with the situation has changed.
"Vaccinations have been rolled out and there are good testing measures. In the fall we were more hesitant.
"This is the university's effort to bring everyone back."
Now, the university can have up to 900 students on the premises at a time.
Only a few students were able to sit for in-person tests in December, but tens of thousands of students in the Emirates are appearing for exams this week and the next.
The university consulted health authorities and set up conditions students would have to meet.
Students will have to be vaccinated with both doses or take a Covid-19 PCR test 92 hours before the exam.
They will have to adhere to all safety precautions, such as wearing a mask and sanitising their hands.
No exchange of material or pencils is allowed during the examination.
Students will have to undergo temperatures checks on entry to university, and must follow a set seating plan.
"We have ensured we have enough distancing in seating and have taken all the precautionary measures," Dr El Mahdi said.
Students who write exams on their laptop will not be required to wear gloves, while some students who will be writing an on-paper exam will have to don gloves.
All exams for advanced, graduate, laboratory, and medical courses have been organised on campus.
Zayed University is holding final exams on campus for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Close to 10,000 students will be appearing for examinations at the campus.
Universities follow Covid-19 guidelines to allow exams to be held safely
The university implemented precautionary measures to ensure that the final exams were held on campus. Exams started on May 16.
"The university is committed to ensuring the highest levels of precaution and safety of all its 9,860 students that are currently undergoing their final examinations, as well as faculty members and staff," said a Zayed University representative.
Students, employees, and academic staff need to follow guidelines.
When entering the university campus, all students have to show their vaccination card to prove they have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
If they have not received the Covid-19 vaccine or received a single dose, they will have to show a negative PCR test result less than a week old.
Students had to report their vaccination status earlier in May.
The university encouraged everyone to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
Exams are being conducted in large halls where pupils can maintain safe distances, and masks are mandatory.
The exam schedule is designed to ensure many students are not on campus at the same time.
Student gatherings are prohibited, and students need to leave the campus as soon as they finish their exams.
Exam halls and public spaces will be disinfected and sterilised after each day.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Naga
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
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Cinco in numbers
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The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
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The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
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How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
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Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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First ODI, October 22
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Second ODI, October 25
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Venue TBC
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