Dubai Schools Succumbing to Covid-19; Physical Closures

While Dubai schools, in theory, remain open, the demands to keep the environment safe from Covid-19, is meaning frequent closures on a school by school basis.

Currently some schools are closing the entire physical campus, while in others only those students in year groups impacted by Covid-19 cases.

SchoolsCompared is aware that the following schools are closed:  Dubai English Speaking College (year 11 only), Horizon English School, Dubai College (year 13 only), The English College, Jumeirah College, Dubai International Academy, and GEMS FirstPoint School.

If your school is not on this list but is closed, please write to us at [email protected].

Most parents commenting on forums, while clearly wanting a safe environment for their children, clearly want a full return to school as soon as possible.

“I have only just managed to get my son back in class. I really hope school does not close again…”

“I really cannot see how they expect iGCSEs to be going ahead with this happening…”

Each emirate in the UAE is following its own course in how to handle Covid-19. All Abu Dhabi schools are currently closed, physically, to students, with distance learning extended for a further three weeks – at least.

In Sharjah, where schools have only recently reopened, a new ruling is demanding employees at private education institutions take the Covid-19 PCR test every two weeks unless they have received both doses of the vaccine.

In the circular, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) said school employees will have to pay for the tests at their own expense, but added that employers will cover the cost for staff who provide a medical report exempting them from taking the vaccine due to an illness or a health condition.

The impact of school closures will further increase pressure on the International Examination Boards to re-think their intention for International GCSE and A level examinations to proceed as planned. Currently, standard home GCSE and A level Examinations have been cancelled and will be replaced by Centre Assessed Grades. More on this here.