Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

More than 500 principals and school leaders from private schools in Dubai attended an online session on the re-opening of schools in the new academic year Hosted by the Director General of the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dr Abdulla Al Karam, the session focused on the health and safety measures schools will take to keep everyone safe when they return to school.

During the session, Al Karam said, “We know that parents, teachers and students will be feeling both excited and anxious at the thought of returning to school Our absolute top priority is the health and safety of everyone at school We also want to make sure that students get the best and most enjoyable learning experience possible when they return.”

While health and safety protocols will apply to all schools equally, individual schools may come up with teaching and learning models that meet the needs of their own specific communities School leaders are encouraged to be creative and innovative in designing the look and feel of their school in the new academic year.

When asked about which further restrictions schools may face when they reopen, Dr Al Karam stated that “the focus is not on restrictions, but on opportunities All school leaders in Dubai have an opportunity to make school better for students and staff We need to make sure that everything we’ve been through these last few months has not been for nothing; that we will come out of this experience better and stronger.” Dubai is home to 209 private schools offering 16 curriculums to nearly 300,000 students.

In a meeting held earlier in June, the Education Business Group, a network of private school operators, had sought immediate support from the government to overcome the operational challenges faced by private schools in the UAE and to direct the opening of schools for the new term in September. The Group, which represents over 100 private school operators in Dubai, had underlined the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their operations, but also reiterated their commitment to providing quality education to all children in a safe and healthy environmen