UAE public schools to continue with distance learning after term 3 exams

Emirates Schools Establishment said term 3 exams mark the end of the curriculum but not the end of the current academic year. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

The UAE’s new public school operator said pupils will complete the academic year on June 30 as planned.

Emirates Schools Establishment, the operator for government schools and kindergartens across the UAE, said last month that pupils in grades four to 12 at the UAE's state schools will sit online exams in June. Pupils in grades one to three will not sit exams and will be given marks based on assessment.

ESE approved a plan for the remaining school days of the current academic year and will continue with distance learning after the examination period on June 17, state news agency Wam reported.

The schools’ operator said third-term exams mark the end of the curriculum but not the end of the current academic year.

As per the academic calendar approved by the Ministerial Development Council, school days will continue after exams to “refine the students’ skills within an interactive learning environment”, the statement carried by Wam said.

The duration of the school day after the exams will be four hours, during which time the schools will organise a variety of extracurricular activities that pupils will benefit from in future academic years.

ESE said the extracurricular activities will cover subjects such as remedial education and skill refinement.

It identified topics for pupils in grades four to 12 to develop their literacy, numeracy and coding skills, combining theoretical and practical education.

UAE pupils return to the classroom

Diana Parva, a French teacher, talks to the class of grade 11 at Victoria English School in Sharjah. Pawan Singh / The National

Pupils of grade 11 go to their class on the first day of the school reopening in 2020. Pawan Singh / The National

Pupils pass through the disinfection tunnel at the Victoria English School in Sharjah last year. Pawan Singh / The National

A staff member checks the temperature of a pupil at the entrance gate at the Victoria English School in Sharjah in 2020. Pawan Singh / The National

School principal Keith Sykes (R) talks to pupils at Victoria English School in Sharjah on the first day of school in 2020. Pawan Singh / The National

Pupils stand in a socially distanced queue at the Victoria English School in Sharjah. Pawan Singh / The National