Coronavirus: How UAE pupils will be home-schooled during the 4-week closure

Teachers will soon be beamed into pupils' homes as schools close until April

Physics teacher Regina O'Dwyer demonstrates how Dubai College's remote learning system works. Using Microsoft 365 and Cisco Webex - a Skype-style conference call tool - she can take pupils through live lessons as they sit at home. Victor Besa / The National

Instead of returning to school after the spring break, pupils will login from home for two weeks and watch teachers at Dubai College for each lesson. The school will remain empty except for teachers. Victor Besa / The National

Dubai College principal Michael Lambert said the teachers are preparing to use the remote system for two weeks. Victor Besa / The National

People disembarking from a UAE military transport plane, used to transport medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided by the World Health Organisation, upon their arrival in Iran. AFP

Workers clean the Grand Mosque, during the pilgrimage known as Umrah, in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

Labourers unloading medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided by the World Health Organisation, from a UAE military transport plane upon their arrival in Iran. AFP

Tonnes of medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided by the World Health Organisation are pictured at the Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai as it is prepared to be delivered to Iran by a UAE plane. AFP

An Iranian lab technician loads a centrifuge with blood samples, taken from patients suspected of being infected with COVID-19 virus, at a hospital in Tehran. AFP

A man wears a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, as he walks at the Grand Souq in old Dubai, UAE. Reuters

A worker splashes disinfectant in a classroom as part of sterilisation campaign against the new coronavirus, at the Evangelical School, in Loueizeh, east of Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo

Lebanese workers spray disinfectant in classrooms and halls of a school in the coastal town of Rmeileh, 35km south of the capital Beirut in an effort to prevent a novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. AFP

People wearing protective masks are seen on a street in Kuwait City, amid a global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus. AFP

An empty classroom is seen in a private school in Hawally, after the Ministry of Edudution suspended schools and universities due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Kuwait city. Reuters

A health worker is pictured inside a newly erected coronavirus quarantine centre in Sanaa, Yemen. Reuters

Jordanian Health Minister Saad Jaber and Minister for Media Affairs Amjad al-Adaileh attend a news conference after the country's first case of the coronavirus was confirmed, at the headquarters of the Prime Minister in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (left) and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan attend a press conference at the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, China. EPA

Chinese President Xi Jinping learning about the progress on the vaccine and anti-body during his visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing, capital of China. EPA

After an early two-week spring break that begins this Sunday, hundreds of thousands of pupils will return to school.

But they won't be at their desks.

Schools across the country will remain closed for a further two weeks after the holiday. The government said it made the decision on Tuesday night as a precaution to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Covid-19 virus only affects a fraction of one per cent of children, but as with any country, huge daily movements of people can spread disease – especially a contagious one like coronavirus.

So how will pupils – facing tough exams, international competition for university places and global education targets – keep up?

Dubai College gave The National a demonstration of its Skype-style classroom system.

It allows teachers to give lessons in real-time to pupils at home using a combination of Microsoft 365 – used for presentations in the business world – and the video-conferencing app Cisco Webex.

Each pupil reports in online and settles down for class. They are even expected to dress smart – "no pyjamas and no swimwear".

“I get a picture of all them and then check the register to see they are all present,” said physics teacher Regina O’Dwyer, standing at an electronic white board at the school in Al Sufouh.

“Then I share the board I am working on with them. I will give them work to do in their virtual exercise books then.

“I can go in and out to check their progress and I can see them at all times.”

She said challenges would not come from pupils or staff struggling to adapt but from connectivity issues as the whole country logs on at 7.30am. There are more than 1,200 schools in the UAE and 1.1 million pupils, according to the Ministry of Education.

“Is the bandwidth going to be able to cope with every pupil in the country suddenly live-streaming all day?

“All the lessons will be recorded though and a link will be available if students can’t connect initially,” Ms O’Dwyer said.

Schools across the country are preparing for the coming weeks – many may not already have such systems in place – but in the long run, pupils may tire of the e-lessons between 7.45am and 3.35pm.

“Two weeks is fine but if it goes on any longer they are going to get lonely just sitting at home and they will lose that connectivity they get from being with others in school,” she said.

“Even with the best will in the world, it’s going to be hard for pupils unless they are very dedicated and motivated.”

Headteacher Michael Lambert said the school recognises that flexibility is needed, with children sitting in their home environment, but said standards must be adhered to.

“We haven’t mandated that school uniforms must be worn – but we’ve asked for no pyjamas and no swimwear,” he said.

“Staff need to dress professionally while students need to dress respectfully.

“We are running a regular school day except it’s online, we have 50-minute lessons, which will be reduced to 40 minutes.

“There will be a 10-minute transition for pupils and teachers to disconnect from screens.

“This means they wouldn’t be staring at a computer screen for the entire duration of the day.”

Heavy rain and widespread flooding in the 2019/2020 academic year has already led to school closures and missed lessons.

The home-learning system could be introduced next time that happens, he said.

"We live in an age of pandemic; we've seen Sars, Mers, Ebola and now coronavirus. It's only [going] to keep coming because we live in an increasingly globalised world," Mr Lambert said.

“In terms of continuity for schools, everyone’s got to have a plan because if it’s not coronavirus then it will be something else.

“We are all going to be in this situation again and while teaching remotely online is not a perfect solution, it is what we will have to turn to when scenarios like this occur.”

Tuesday evening’s announcement meant spring break, which was due to begin on March 29, was brought forward by two weeks.

This would then be followed by two weeks of home-teaching in which students would be taught online until April 5.

Almost 1,000 students at Dubai College were being put through their paces on how exactly the set-up would work on Wednesday.

Mr Lambert asked parents, many of whom may need to take time off or work from home, to try to set aside a workspace.

“A child might need to be in a bedroom, especially if they are in a small apartment and need somewhere quiet to study,” he said.

“We will be as open and transparent as we possibly can and will have a digital recording of each and every lesson to ensure all child protection and safety standards are upheld.”