Dubai Schools Given Choice in Whether to Return to In-School Learning

While the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee, in coordination with ADEK, is demanding schools opt out of in-school learning for the first two weeks of the new school term in Abu Dhabi, schools in Dubai are being given the choice in determining what is right for their particular school.

According to information received by SchoolsCompared.com schools are taking different tacks, even within the same group. Safa Community School, for example, will not return to in-school learning for the first week of the second term in the 2020-2021 academic year, but Safa British School will return immediately. Jebel Ali School and American School of Dubai will also opt for distance learning for the coming two weeks according to information received by Schools Compared.

The GEMS Education schools we have so far received information from are planning to return to in-school learning. Repton Dubai’s principal, David Cooke, confirmed it too would open its doors on Sunday 3rd January.

Both DESS and DESC are two schools that will not be opening for in-school learning, at least for the first week of term – and possibly for longer. The school is making an exemption for Year 11 at DESC who are sitting their mock/rehearsal GCSE examinations.

In a letter to its parents, Mr Andrew Gibbs, Principal and CEO of DESS and DESC said:

“The duration of this period of closure is one week in the first instance; at the end of the week, we will review matters and decide about the following week based on the data around infection rates among our children/students, families and staff. We very much hope we will be able to open for Week 2, and for now that is our default setting. What we need is visibility on the impact of potentially higher rates of infection following the Winter Break.”

DESSC says its decision has been triggered by a “significant number of families who have travelled overseas.”

“We are concerned about the impact on two sizeable, busy school environments, one with 1000 pupils (DESS) and the other with 1700 pupils (DESC). Add to that 460 staff members across the two schools.

“For the sake of a five, possibly ten-day buffer between the end of a break where so much has changed in terms of infection rates and speed of transmission, I hope many of you will concur with, and support, our course of action.”

SchoolsCompared.com will continue to publish more information as we receive it. If you are the principal of a school, and would like us to publish your school’s information, please email [email protected] with the details.

The letter from DESSC in full