In-person learning with 100% attendance will resume in public and private schools as well as kindergartens (KGs) across the country Sunday.
In a statement Saturday, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) said the schools and kindergartens are fully prepared to receive students while taking all precautionary and preventive measures against Covid-19 and providing a safe learning environment for students as well as staff.
The second semester had begun with online learning in January, with in-person attendance allowed for specific groups of students only.
Last week, the ministry announced the return of all students to schools and kindergartens with 100% in-person attendance from January 30.
A rapid antigen test (RAT) has to be conducted on a weekly basis at home for all students of public and private schools and kindergartens, across all grades. A negative result will enable them to enter the school building, provided the test takes place within a maximum of 48 hours before returning to school.
Health teams from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will conduct random antigen testing during school hours on the premises to ensure the safety of the learning environment, the Government Communications Office said in a related post on social media.
With regard to private schools and KGs, Rashid Ahmed al-Ameri, director of the Private Schools Affairs Department at the MoEHE, said in the MoEHE statement Saturday that more than 215,000 students in 334 private schools and kindergartens will return to schools on Sunday.
He appreciated the co-operation of these schools and KGs to ensure the continuity of learning despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 not only during this academic year but since the start of the pandemic. He appreciated how they adapted to various scenarios during this period, as necessitated by varying Covid-19 infection rates, and praised their use of advanced technology and innovation to implement school activities and programmes virtually.
In response to the circular issued last week by the assistant undersecretary for Private Education Affairs at the MoEHE, Omar Abdel Aziz al-Naama regarding 100% attendance of students and administrative and teaching staff, schools and kindergartens immediately began to notify parents via text messages and emails about all matters related to attendance.
Parents were informed about the procedures for doing rapid antigen tests on students at home not more than 48 hours before returning to school. The student has to take the acknowledgment form, signed by a parent and confirming the negative test result, to school. Entry will be allowed only to students with a negative test result.
The form is available on the public services portal of the ministry and has also been sent to students/parents by the school via email.
Also, the parents and students were educated by the MoEHE on how to conduct the RAT at home, through its website and social media platforms. The MoPH has also circulated videos explaining how to conduct the test on a child.
If a student's test result is positive, s/he must visit the nearest health centre to confirm the result. If it is confirmed that s/he is infected with the virus, s/he must follow the established health isolation procedure, and attend classes through the distance learning system, if the student's health condition permits this.
Rapid antigen testing devices are provided only to public school students through their schools.
The MoEHE has worked to raise parents' awareness of the need to comply with the precautionary and preventive measures to preserve public health, especially the commitment to wearing masks, achieving social distancing and continuous ventilation.
Meanwhile, al-Ameri said the ministry, through its academic specialists and administrative supervisers, and within the periodic follow-up plan for the second semester, carried out field inspection visits to the schools with the aim of reviewing the progress of the educational process there.
Besides reviewing the delivery of online lessons, the official said he was keen to ensure the implementation of all precautionary and preventive measures to limit the spread of Covid-19.
The director said the Private Education Affairs Department also held a number of virtual meetings with private schools at the beginning of January. These meetings were chaired by the assistant undersecretary and covered approximately 140 private schools. They reviewed all relevant issues and difficulties facing private schools during this period, while developing appropriate solutions and exchanging ideas and experiences.
Al-Ameri said inspection visits will continue in the coming period with the return of all students to schools and KGs, noting that the Private Education Affairs Department deployed a group of volunteers to help schools, kindergartens and private schools implement the precautionary and preventive measures to ensure the safety and health of students and administrative and academic staff.
He praised the role of the volunteers, who belong to the Qatar Scouts and Guides Association, for their contribution to monitoring and following up on precautionary measures in all schools and private kindergartens.
He stressed that it's the responsibility of school and kindergarten administrations to implement all precautionary and preventive measures in accordance with the directives and instructions of the MoPH and the Health and Safety Department of the MoEHE.
Al-Ameri thanked the private schools and kindergartens for their constant co-operation and clear efforts in continuing the educational process, wishing success to all students of schools in Qatar.
In a statement Saturday, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) said the schools and kindergartens are fully prepared to receive students while taking all precautionary and preventive measures against Covid-19 and providing a safe learning environment for students as well as staff.
The second semester had begun with online learning in January, with in-person attendance allowed for specific groups of students only.
Last week, the ministry announced the return of all students to schools and kindergartens with 100% in-person attendance from January 30.
A rapid antigen test (RAT) has to be conducted on a weekly basis at home for all students of public and private schools and kindergartens, across all grades. A negative result will enable them to enter the school building, provided the test takes place within a maximum of 48 hours before returning to school.
Health teams from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will conduct random antigen testing during school hours on the premises to ensure the safety of the learning environment, the Government Communications Office said in a related post on social media.
With regard to private schools and KGs, Rashid Ahmed al-Ameri, director of the Private Schools Affairs Department at the MoEHE, said in the MoEHE statement Saturday that more than 215,000 students in 334 private schools and kindergartens will return to schools on Sunday.
He appreciated the co-operation of these schools and KGs to ensure the continuity of learning despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 not only during this academic year but since the start of the pandemic. He appreciated how they adapted to various scenarios during this period, as necessitated by varying Covid-19 infection rates, and praised their use of advanced technology and innovation to implement school activities and programmes virtually.
In response to the circular issued last week by the assistant undersecretary for Private Education Affairs at the MoEHE, Omar Abdel Aziz al-Naama regarding 100% attendance of students and administrative and teaching staff, schools and kindergartens immediately began to notify parents via text messages and emails about all matters related to attendance.
Parents were informed about the procedures for doing rapid antigen tests on students at home not more than 48 hours before returning to school. The student has to take the acknowledgment form, signed by a parent and confirming the negative test result, to school. Entry will be allowed only to students with a negative test result.
The form is available on the public services portal of the ministry and has also been sent to students/parents by the school via email.
Also, the parents and students were educated by the MoEHE on how to conduct the RAT at home, through its website and social media platforms. The MoPH has also circulated videos explaining how to conduct the test on a child.
If a student's test result is positive, s/he must visit the nearest health centre to confirm the result. If it is confirmed that s/he is infected with the virus, s/he must follow the established health isolation procedure, and attend classes through the distance learning system, if the student's health condition permits this.
Rapid antigen testing devices are provided only to public school students through their schools.
The MoEHE has worked to raise parents' awareness of the need to comply with the precautionary and preventive measures to preserve public health, especially the commitment to wearing masks, achieving social distancing and continuous ventilation.
Meanwhile, al-Ameri said the ministry, through its academic specialists and administrative supervisers, and within the periodic follow-up plan for the second semester, carried out field inspection visits to the schools with the aim of reviewing the progress of the educational process there.
Besides reviewing the delivery of online lessons, the official said he was keen to ensure the implementation of all precautionary and preventive measures to limit the spread of Covid-19.
The director said the Private Education Affairs Department also held a number of virtual meetings with private schools at the beginning of January. These meetings were chaired by the assistant undersecretary and covered approximately 140 private schools. They reviewed all relevant issues and difficulties facing private schools during this period, while developing appropriate solutions and exchanging ideas and experiences.
Al-Ameri said inspection visits will continue in the coming period with the return of all students to schools and KGs, noting that the Private Education Affairs Department deployed a group of volunteers to help schools, kindergartens and private schools implement the precautionary and preventive measures to ensure the safety and health of students and administrative and academic staff.
He praised the role of the volunteers, who belong to the Qatar Scouts and Guides Association, for their contribution to monitoring and following up on precautionary measures in all schools and private kindergartens.
He stressed that it's the responsibility of school and kindergarten administrations to implement all precautionary and preventive measures in accordance with the directives and instructions of the MoPH and the Health and Safety Department of the MoEHE.
Al-Ameri thanked the private schools and kindergartens for their constant co-operation and clear efforts in continuing the educational process, wishing success to all students of schools in Qatar.