KSA To Continue Distance Education Until End of Academic Year
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh announced the continuation of the educational process remotely until the end of the current academic year as part of the government’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the Kingdom.
The Saudi Minister said in a statement quoted by the Saudi Press Agency that the decision is an affirmation of the wise leadership’s interest in the safety of students and all education personnel from the risks of being infected with the deadly virus.
The decision was made to protect students, teachers and school staff from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), while making sure they continue with education.
Elementary students’ classes will begin at 3 p.m., while secondary and high school students will be resuming their classes at 9 a.m.
Universities and training centers are to carry on with remote learning for theoretical classes. Applied classes will resume with preventive measures and social distancing.
The ministry has been assessing remote learning throughout the pandemic and has formed two committees for general and university education in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
The ministry has worked to improve the remote experience through programs like the Madrasati platform, 33 educational TV channels, lesson channels on YouTube and the national education platform Ain.
The ministry affirmed its confidence in the faculty of universities and technical training centers as they carry out remote learning and safe applied education.
The ministry also praised the role of families in continuing to pursue education remotely for their children, adding that it could not have succeeded without their cooperation.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported six new Covid-19-related deaths. The death toll now stands at 6,310.
A total of 169 new cases were reported, meaning 364,440 people have now contracted the disease. There are 1,929 active cases, with 302 in critical condition.
According to the Health Ministry, 32 of the newly recorded cases were in Riyadh, 15 in Makkah and seven in Madinah.
In addition, 188 new patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 356,201.
Saudi Arabia has so far conducted 11,535,208 PCR tests, with 49,133 carried out in the past 24 hours.
