Over 6mln students in Saudi Arabia return to classes

RIYADH - More than six million male and female students of all the educational institutions in various regions and governorates across the Kingdom returned to in-person and remote classes on Sunday, marking the beginning of the second semester of the current academic year.

The educational institutions reopened after a short vacation at the end of the first semester examination. Boy and girl students of intermediate and secondary levels of general education sat for their first in-person examination from Nov. 17 after a hiatus of two years since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Students of intermediate and secondary schools in public, private and foreign education as well as students of universities and vocational institutes would continue their educational journey through attending classes physically during the entire period of the second semester. This is in strict compliance with all the precautionary measures and preventive protocols to ensure the safety of students from coronavirus. Only intermediate and secondary school students, who are at the age of 12 or above and have received two doses of vaccination against coronavirus, are allowed to attend in-person classes.

Remote classes are continuing for all students of elementary schools and kindergartens during the second semester and this is through the Madrasati (My school) and Rawdati (My kindergarten) online platforms. Remote classes would also continue for intermediate and secondary school students who are not in a position to take coronavirus vaccine on the ground of documented health reasons or not completed 12 years of age.

The Ministry of Education has directed education departments and offices and all general education schools in all regions of the Kingdom to continue implementing all the health protocols and procedures to stem the spread of coronavirus. It underlined the need for educating students to comply with the precautionary measures approved by the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Authority (Weqaya) to preserve their safety, as well as the safety of their families and members of the society.

The ministry also highlighted the importance of implementing the updated rules of conduct and attendance in schools for intermediate and secondary school students, in addition to the compliance of digital rules of conduct for elementary school students that are applicable in virtual classrooms via the Madrasati platform.

It called on the educational supervision offices to follow up the progress of the educational process from the first day onwards and prepare reports after evaluating performance in all public and private schools of general education and that should be in accordance with the nature of the subject, level and grade. These reports shall be submitted to education departments in order to follow the educational process and contribute to improving the learning outcome, the ministry added.