The UAE issued a protocol for operating educational facilities during the new academic year, which includes the necessary requirements to protect students during the Corona pandemic.
The document, which came to light on August 19, 2021, aims to announce the requirements and precautionary measures that must be followed by all educational facilities in the Emirates, to achieve a safe, healthy and stimulating environment for learning during the pandemic.
The document, which may be subject to change or modification without prior notice based on the directives of the designated authorities and developments in the epidemic, includes about 10 chapters that cover all aspects of securing students during the school day.
Among those chapters: the national risk levels in the educational facility determined by local emergency, crisis and disaster teams, and they include 4 levels: low risk (A), medium risk (B), high risk (C), and critical risk (D). .
The document also includes a chapter on the general framework for operating educational facilities during the pandemic, and other chapters on precautionary measures in nurseries and child care centers, public and private public education, and public and private higher education.
Part VI specifically of the document deals with instructions for students of faculties of health sciences during the pandemic, while the eighth revolves around the plan to deal with positive “Covid 19” cases detected in educational facilities.
"Al-Ain News" sheds light on an aspect of important details that parents, students and workers in the educational sector must also know.
Risks of reopening educational facilities
The following are some of the main general risks stipulated in the document that must be taken into account when reopening educational facilities, as follows:
- The spread of the virus among students in classrooms and common areas.
- The spread of the virus through large gatherings in confined spaces, including canteen areas, assessment areas, entry and exit points to educational facilities causing gatherings as a result of additional safety controls, such as temperature checks at the entrances to educational facilities.
- The spread of the virus among workers who are in shared rooms for long periods of time.
- Teachers and students in high-risk categories (such as chronic medical conditions and pregnant teachers) have been exposed to the virus.
- Transmission of the virus by food suppliers and other contractors, which leads to an increased risk of infection with the virus.
The general framework for operating educational facilities during the pandemic
This section includes several important axes for reopening and operating educational facilities in the UAE during the pandemic, including the following:
1- Environment, Health and Safety System in Educational Facilities
This axis includes:
- The obligation to undergo a “Covid-19” examination for academic and administrative staff, service providers, students over the age of 12, and vaccine recipients before returning to educational facilities.
- Commitment to applying physical distance (1 meter) between students in classrooms, laboratories, learning resource rooms, and other facilities of the educational facility, events and activities.
- Commitment to applying a distance of (1 meter) between teaching and administrative staff.
- Commitment to maintaining the approved distance for physical distancing while students are in the educational facility by placing stickers on the ground to designate standing places.
- Obligation to check the temperature of students, administrative and teaching staff, and service providers (eg: guards and cleaners) before entering the educational facility, and to ensure that it is less than 5.37 degrees.
- The person in charge of the facility must be notified if symptoms of "Covid-19" appear among the employees or other users of the facility, such as: fever (5.37 ° C or higher), cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea, headache, or loss of feeling. smell or taste Develop a plan to notify parents in the event of any developments related to suspected cases.
- The obligation of students and all members of the administrative and teaching staff and service providers to wear masks while in the educational facility, and students under the age of 6 years are excluded from wearing masks.
- The commitment of the teaching staff to wear masks while teaching in the classroom, while leaving a physical distance of no less than (1 meter) between the teacher and the student.
- Emphasis on students and all members of the administrative and teaching staff not to have contact with infected people at least two weeks before the start of school hours.
- The obligation of students and all members of the administrative and teaching staff and service providers not to go to the educational facility when they feel any symptoms of infection with the virus or any respiratory symptoms such as: (fever, cough, shortness of breath, body pain, loss of smell and taste, headache).
- Directing students, teaching and administrative staff, and service providers to adhere to the use of personal protective equipment throughout the period of their presence in the educational facility, not to exchange tools with colleagues, and to avoid shaking hands during the greeting.
- Provide indicative and awareness boards on the importance of complying with health procedures and precautions such as (physical distancing, hand washing, hand sterilization).
- Obligation to inform the educational facility administration in cases of infection with “Covid-19” or contact with infected people, while ensuring that they stay at home and take the necessary measures for quarantine, while committing to distance learning according to the study plan approved by the educational facility.
- Preparing a plan for the readiness of the educational facility to receive students, including the requirements and precautionary measures recommended by health authorities.
- Requiring students and the administrative and educational staff to sign the "Declaration of Undertaking on Health Condition", which stipulates an acknowledgment that they have not been infected with "Covid-19" disease or have been in contact with an infected person.
- Managing the entry and exit process to the educational facility in a way that maintains physical distance and prevents crowding.
- Divide the students into different groups and ensure that the groups do not mix with each other.
- Distributing students of people of determination into different groups and ensuring that they are not concentrated in a particular group.
- Divide students into groups during recesses to avoid crowding and maintain physical distances.
- The facility management must allocate an isolation room in accordance with the requirements for isolation rooms set by the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, and establish procedures for dealing with suspected or confirmed "Covid-19" cases.
- Making use of the theatre, gymnasiums and large halls in the educational facility and using them as classrooms.
- Studying the placement of transparent plastic barriers around study tables to limit the spread of infection.
- Taking into account the entry and exit of students to laboratories and learning resource rooms without crowding, while ensuring that a safe distance is left.
- Determine a communication channel or an emergency phone number for parents, students, educational and administrative staff, and service providers to report the emergence of symptoms of infection with the virus.
- Develop a plan to notify parents of health developments in the facility.
Concerning the use of lounge rooms in educational facilities, the document stipulates the following:
- Educational and administrative staff and Muslim students are required to bring their own prayer mats.
- Students must wear masks in prayer rooms.
- Prayer rooms must be cleaned after each use.
- Using prayer rooms according to the instructions of the concerned authorities.
2- Safety procedures in the environment of educational facilities
Including those related to the buildings of educational facilities as follows:
- Developing an "operational plan for the facility's readiness for a safe return" by the educational facility management, with the formation of work teams called the "Health and Safety Committee" to follow up on the application of all requirements, precautionary measures, and awareness recommended by the competent authorities.
- Periodic cleaning and sterilization of the educational facility and classrooms in accordance with the recommendations of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
- Determine the dates of sterilization and the individuals in charge of it within an announced schedule.
- Ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using cleaning and disinfecting products to prevent toxic fumes from escaping.
- Ensure that air conditioning systems are working properly, and increase outside air circulation as much as possible, for example by opening windows and doors.
- Installing plastic barriers in areas where it is difficult to keep a distance of (1 meter) between individuals, such as (expenses collection services).
- Ensuring that hand-washing is tracked for younger students in the early stages through awareness and direct supervision, and setting rewards for students who are committed to washing hands frequently / in a timely manner.
- Periodic sterilization of educational tools and devices used by students and teachers.
- Developing a mechanism for cleaning and sterilizing toilets after each use.
- Restrooms are usually crowded places, so educational facilities must put signs indicating where to stand while queuing (preferably outside), movement paths and available hand-washing sinks, to maintain social distancing.
- It is forbidden to use the air dryer (the power plug must be pulled out or a plate must be placed to prevent use), due to the possibility of air circulation and the possibility of transmitting diseases.
- Providing sterilizers at the entrances to educational facilities.
- Hand sanitizers must contain a sterilizing gel with an alcohol content of 70 to 80%.
- Training educational staff and security and safety officers in educational facilities to supervise sterilization operations.
- Continuous sterilization of laboratories and learning resources.
With regard to residences for students and workers attached to educational facilities, the document stipulates:
- The redistribution of students in housing in accordance with the standards of social distancing and safe distances.
- Not allowing students to mix and gather, and limiting movement between floors whenever possible.
- Commitment to provide sterilizers, hand-washing methods, paper tissues, masks and gloves in the places necessary for the use of students and workers.
- Managing movement, attendance records, visitor records, applying thermal scanning at the entrances to the educational facility, and monitoring symptoms of illness that may appear on students or workers, for early detection of infected or suspected cases to limit the spread of infection.
- Applying cleaning and sterilization procedures and wiping common surfaces periodically after each use.
- Raising awareness and educating about the preventive measures applied in housing, and placing informative posters on the walls of all rooms and in the entrances, exits and corridors.
- Providing personal protection and sterilization equipment and tools for workers in housing facilities, and people under quarantine.
- Provide separate containers for throwing medical waste and set up an appropriate mechanism for safe disposal according to the standards and requirements specified for that.
- The existence of a clear mechanism for safe washing and cleaning of clothes and bed linen, with a clarification of the separate isolation path for washing and cleaning of clothes and bed linen of persons placed in quarantine.
3- Transportation services in educational facilities
This item includes the following:
- Commitment to the capacity approved by the competent authority for buses, while registering lists of students' names.
- Follow up on the commitment of bus drivers and supervisors to the approved health and safety standards, such as (wearing masks, sterilizing hands, and applying safe distances).
- Continuous guidance to providers of transportation services for educational facilities to educate their employees on the importance of adhering to these standards and conditions in order to limit the spread of epidemics and diseases.
- Determine the places for students to sit on buses, after allocating safe physical distances.
- Obligation to sterilize buses before the first trip and after each trip with cleaning and sterilization materials approved by the supplier.
- Emphasizing the student's commitment to follow preventive measures such as (wearing a mask and physical distancing).