Coronavirus: UAE officials carry out more than 1,200 school safety checks

Inspections conducted before schools reopened for the new academic year

Stephen Haw sees off his sons Hugo, nine and Hector, seven at the gates of Brighton College in Abu Dhabi. All photos by Victor Besa / The National

Johnny Archer, nine and mother, Anna pictured before the start of the school day

A father gives his daughter a final hug before school

Darcey Clement, nine, says goodbye to her dog Bella, before going to class

Eshan Boly, aged nine, in front of Brighton College in Khalifa Park

Children have been at home since March when schools closed

Parents have been preparing their children for the big day, ensuring they have masks and sanitisers and are aware of the need to follow various rules

Parents have been preparing their children for the big day, ensuring they have masks and sanitisers and are aware of the need to follow various rules

Pupils brought their own lunch in cool boxes given that school canteens are closed

Parents see their children off at the school gates

Schools and authorities have implemented a series of guidelines to ensure staff and pupil safety

Parents see their children off at the school gates. Abu Dhabi has a staggered return to the school year

The Ministry of Education carried out 1,293 field inspections at schools in the country to ensure their compliance with Covid-19 safety rules.

The safety checks were carried out before schools reopened for the new academic year.

Officials inspected 792 public schools, 326 private schools, 132 nurseries and 43 higher education institutions. Another 1,160 virtual visits were completed.

The Ministry officials also attended more than 18,000 online classes and monitored 2,352 online tests taken by pupils and students.

On August 15, the ministry set out protocols, requirements and precautions to be followed by schools and universities during the pandemic.

Each emirate had its own list of rules that schools had to follow to keep pupils and staff safe.