The Ministry of Education and Higher Education decided to amend the school return plan that had previously been circulated, and to implement the blended learning system during the first semester of the academic year 2020-2021, in all educational stages of public and private schools, kindergartens, and higher education institutions.
Accordingly, e-learning is integrated with classroom learning in one framework.
This amendment came after coordination with the Ministry of Public Health regarding the necessary precautionary measures, to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, and in view of the reality imposed by HIV infection rates in the State of Qatar, and in light of an attempt to reduce educational losses that result from suspending and postponing the beginning of the school year.
According to the blended learning system, students are required to attend one to three times a week to the school building, while maintaining an attendance rate of about 30% of the total number of students in the school per day, with the aim of attending some basic classes and doing practical experiments in Laboratories and perform tests.
In order to achieve health requirements and social distancing, schools are obligated to divide the total number of students in one level into classes that include a maximum of 15 students in one division, and students’ sitting in classrooms is organized, taking into account the existence of a distance of 1.5 meters between each student and his classmate.
The “distance learning” system will be implemented on the days when students do not come to the school building according to the schedule planned by the ministry. The blended education system includes students conducting mid-term tests and end-of-semester tests in the school building through a schedule organized by schools that ensures Social distancing between students.
Educate students
Schools are obligated during the first three days of the day (from 1 to 3 September) to educate students about the precautionary measures that must be followed, by requiring preparatory and high school students only to wear a mask (a cloth muzzle), adhering to the circulars issued by the Health and Safety Department in the Ministry, and distributing leaflets And brochures issued by the Health and Safety Department regarding preventive precautions for students at the start of their work and educating parents about them.
In addition to handing over the students rotating work schedules during the first semester, which clarifies the days that students must work in the school building and the days that they will receive distance learning, and educating students about the “distance learning” system that will be applied on days when students will not be in the building Scholastic.
Schools are also obligated to regulate the entry and exit of students to the school building to prevent crowding and take into account social distancing, in addition to canceling the morning queue and group activities such as trips, camps and celebrations and turning them into virtual if possible.
Specialized schools
As for specialized and technical schools, schools for people with special needs, and village schools that include a small number of students, equal to 30% of the capacity of the school building, all students will attend 100% on all days of the week.
An exception is made from working in the school building during the first semester, and his / her attendance will be remotely for a student who is sick with a chronic disease and has a medical certificate approved for that, or for a student whose family member residing in the same house suffers from chronic diseases that require avoiding transmitting the infection to them, along with attaching an approved medical certificate. And the patient’s national address certificate, provided that the excluded students come to the school building to perform the central exams with their colleagues.
Students’ attendance at universities
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education issued a circular to university administrators and presidents regarding student attendance, whereby it was decided that attendance would be gradual in universities. So that working hours are during the first three months (from September to the end of November), and with an attendance rate of 30%; With the continuation of blended learning, students’ attendance for exams is included in their assessment scores as much as possible and as needed, with all precautionary measures taken regarding the (Covid 19) pandemic, with the need to achieve a student spacing of one and a half meters – as a minimum – from each side, and provide awareness Comprehensive for them and for employees inside the university in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health.
Microsoft Teams app for distance learning accreditation
The school hours for students will start from 7:15 in the morning and end at 12:30 in the afternoon, and the school will organize the entrance and exit of students to the building to prevent overcrowding and take into account social distancing, and the school schedule includes 6 classes per day, the class time is 45 minutes, and separates between class and the other five minutes The school day includes a 25-minute break, taking into account the organization of the school schedule, so that there are 3 different times of space to reduce the number of students in one break.
As for kindergartens, the usual daily schedule is applied during the days of students’ visit to the school, as the working hours are from 7 in the morning until 12 noon, with the need to work on exploiting the open spaces in the school building such as the inner square of the queue, the school theater, the halls of laboratories and the arts and converting them into Classes are open to achieve desired social distancing. Mid-term and end-of-semester exams will be conducted in the school building through a schedule organized by schools that ensures social distancing.
The Microsoft Teams app for remote learning will be approved, and a set of video lessons for all lessons will be provided uploaded on the distance learning channel on YouTube, and the lessons will be provided on a weekly basis with a weekly evaluation for each subject that will be available to the student for a week from the date of reference, while uploading digital textbooks in place. Allotted to it.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education confirmed that procedures are always subject to follow-up and evaluation in view of the current situation, and that they will be changed based on any developments on the ground, especially the extent of the spread of the Corona virus.
