For Khalaf Malkouf, Covid-19 is only the latest challenge in his struggle to bring education to children in his hometown in Iraq.
Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, the headmaster and founder of the Al Makarim elementary school in Yousifiyah, a middle-class rural suburb of Baghdad, was already struggling for funding in the absence of any support from the government.
Now, the school has to deal with the disruption to lessons caused by Covid-19, as well as the safety measures introduced by the government to prevent the spread of infections.
"The biggest challenge in this school year is coronavirus," Mr Malkouf told The National in an interview in one of the caravans from which his school operates.
The 300 school pupils at Al Makarim are among the 10 million who returned to classes on November 29. The government delayed the start of the new school year by nearly two months because of the high rate of new coronavirus infections.
Iraq is now reporting about 2,000 infections a day – nearly half the level in October – with more than 564,000 confirmed cases and 12,400 deaths as of December 7, according to a tally kept by John Hopkins University.
Schools in Iraq had been shut since the pandemic hit in late February, prompting authorities to impose lockdowns. Many pupils had already missed classes because of anti-government protests that swept the capital and southern cities since October last year.
To make up for lost time, schools will open six days a week instead of five, with each level attending class once a week, Education Ministry spokesman Haider Farouq told The National.
Health precautions include physical distancing and the use of face masks and gloves, limiting classes to 15 students, and regular sanitisation of classrooms.
Families have the option to not send their children for classes and only to the mid-year and final exams. The ministry has launched applications for online classes and a TV channel for children opting to learn from home, Mr Farouq said.
“We’ll evaluate the situation after two or three weeks from now to see whether everything is going well or we need to adjust plans or adopt new ones,” he said.
“Keeping the wheel moving slowly is better than keeping it idle.”
Private schools and some public ones in central Baghdad are well equipped for the new situation, but those in poor or rural areas such as Yousifiyah struggle to cope.
Mr Malkouf set up Al Makarim in July 2018 on a dunum (3,750 square metres) of privately donated land in his hometown, with 10 caravans supplied by the Baghdad provincial council that had been used for about five years in camps for displaced people.
“The caravans were in a very bad state and needed money and work to repair and refurbish,” he said.
With donations from local residents for the repairs and furniture, the school was up and running three months later. Newly graduated teachers volunteered to work free for the first year, while the school was waiting for funds to be allocated by the federal government.
The road to the school is unpaved, and the caravan roofs leak, letting in winter rains that damage the floors, but it provides a much-needed option for local familiies.
“The nearest school that our students used to attend was about 12 kilometres away where more than 700 pupils crammed in overcrowded classrooms in two shifts,” Mr Malkouf said.
Mr Malkouf, 47, began his career as a teacher and later worked as deputy headmaster in two other schools in the area before starting Al Makarim.
Al Makarim is one of hundreds of schools in the country forced to operate out of caravans because of the lack of government funding for proper infrastructure. Iraq’s failure to improve basic services since 2003, when a US-led invasion ended Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, was one of the grievances that sparked the protests last year.
Despite receiving hundreds of billions of dollars in oil revenue and international aid, successive governments failed to ensure a regular power supply, clean water, sewage treatment and other public services.
A sharp drop in oil prices since the coronavirus pandemic hit global travel and economic activity has left the government struggling even to pay salaries in the public sector, its biggest expenditure.
Meanwhile, operating amid the health crisis has placed an extra burden on schools and the families of their pupils.
At Al Makarim, teachers donate nearly one quarter of their salaries to a maintenance fund and to pay for Covid-19 safety measures, such as a sanitisation booth, disinfectant sprays for the classrooms, hand sanitisers and face masks for pupils who cannot afford them.
“Now, we are in a war against coronavirus to keep illiteracy away from our children who forgot everything over the past period” when schools were closed, Mr Malkouf said.
Despite the precautions, some families are wary of sending their children to school and have opted to have them learn online.
“Even if they practise physical distancing in the classrooms, the children can’t adhere to the rules for hours, especially when they eat or drink or use the bathroom,” said Noor Abdullah, a mother of two in Baghdad.
“We got the books and will have them study at home while following up with the teachers on online platforms, and we’ll evaluate the situation from time to time,” she said.
But most families cannot afford smartphones or computers for their children to study online, while poor electricity supply and internet make it hard for them to follow up, Mr Malkouf said.
In a country where the poverty rate is expected to rise to 31.7 per cent by the end of this year from 20 per cent in 2018, because of the socio-economic effects of the pandemic, buying a smartphone is a distant dream.
An internet subscription – which costs at least $50 a month – is a luxury for many. Even then, the connection is unreliable and relatively slow. In October, Iraq ranked 101st globally for fixed broadband connections, with an average speed of 28.9 Mbps, and 127th for mobile connectivity with an average speed of 12.95 Mbps, according to the Ookla Speedtest Global Index released last month.
Despite spending more than $62 billion on electricity since 2003, according to Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, many Iraqi cities and towns still experience severe power cuts. In Yousifiyah, the failures sometimes last for more than 12 hours a day.
"Distance learning in rural areas is very hard and it is impossible to bear fruits given the lengthy power outage and internet problems," Mr Malkouf said.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7-inch%20flexible%20Amoled%2C%202%2C412%20x%201%2C080%2C%20394ppi%2C%20120Hz%2C%20Corning%20Gorilla%20Glass%205%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MediaTek%20Dimensity%207%2C200%20Pro%2C%204nm%2C%20octa-core%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2014%2C%20Nothing%20OS%202.5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2050MP%20main%2C%20f%2F1.88%20%2B%2050MP%20ultra-wide%2C%20f%2F2.2%3B%20OIS%2C%20EIS%2C%20auto-focus%2C%20ultra%20XDR%2C%20night%20mode%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2030fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2060fps%3B%20slo-mo%20full-HD%20at%20120fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F2.2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2C000mAh%3B%2050%25%20in%2030%20minutes%20with%2045-watt%20charger%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Google%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fingerprint%2C%20face%20unlock%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP54%2C%20limited%20protection%20from%20water%2Fdust%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual-nano%20SIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Black%2C%20milk%2C%20white%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nothing%20Phone%20(2a)%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%2C%20pre-applied%20screen%20protector%2C%20Sim%20tray%20ejector%20tool%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%20(UAE)%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh1%2C199%20(8GB%2F128GB)%20%2F%20Dh1%2C399%20(12GB%2F256GB)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
