Schools across the country will be inspected to determine how well they are delivering e-learning classes.
Inspectors will be able to jump into virtual classes to observe teachers and pupils, while principals will be interviewed by officials.
The Ministry of Education and Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah's education regulators will assess public and private schools this month.
Each school will be subject to virtual inspections lasting about five hours.
I am certain the regulators will be aware of the pressure teachers and leaders, pupils and parents are under at this point of time
News of the checks came in a post on the website of Dubai private school regulator the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
"The Distance Learning Evaluation has been developed to create shared expectations of distance learning for schools, parents and students and to provide schools with feedback in order to help them improve key aspects of their provision," KHDA said.
"It will include online meetings with the principal and senior leadership team, as well as remote observation of lessons. Schools will be given prior notice of an evaluation."
Inspectors will focus on how pupils learn remotely and their general well-being, how teachers monitor pupils' progress and how schools are now led and managed, KHDA said.
Alan Williamson, chief executive of Taaleem, the country's second largest private school operator with 13 schools, said the inspections were a good opportunity to reflect on the major changes seen in the past two months.
"I am certain the regulators will be aware of the pressure teachers and leaders, pupils and parents are under at this point of time," he told The National.
"And while we fully understand and support the need for the Distance Learning Evaluation to ensure high standards, I am confident from our experience in the pilot that this will be approached empathetically by all involved, given the challenges that some families are currently facing.”
Neil Matthews, principal of Gems Wellington Academy Al Khail, said his school has already reviewed and refined distance learning as the programme has continued.
“This has been in response to feedback from pupils, parents and teachers and our internal quality assurance and monitoring processes," he said.
Annual inspections are seen as crucial to raising standards but also allow private schools to raise fees.
The amount each school can increase fees by each year depends on the rating they are given, with those rated very good or excellent allowed the largest rises.
In February, Dubai's regulator froze fees for the academic 2021-2022 to provide families with some financial relief.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
