Back to school in UAE: Is remote learning still an option for students?

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Over one million students and 65,000 teaching staff will return to school from tomorrow, Monday, August 29, for the academic year 2022-23. This would mark the beginning of the most ‘normal’ schooling for students since the pandemic hit as most Covid safety rules have been eased.

Last week, authorities announced an update to the national protocol for educational establishments for the new academic year. Notable changes include doing away with the requirement for periodic PCR testing as well as social distancing in schools and buses.

All students can report back to schools, including those unvaccinated due to medical reasons, with a negative result of a PCR test taken within 96 hours. Students in Dubai schools, however, are not required to undergo a test.

According to the updated national protocol, remote learning will be made available to:

Students who test positive for Covid-19.
Students having symptoms of respiratory illnesses. Such students will need to take a PCR test.

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) also mandates online learning for students who are close contacts, have Covid symptoms and are awaiting the results of a PCR test.