Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Public and private schools will open on September 1st as planned under strict health safety and precautionary measures, Minister of Education Tayseer Nuaimi announced on Tuesday.

"The decision to reopen schools balances between two essential needs, education and health," Nuaimi told a joint press conference with other ministers, adding that the student’s long absence from school has an educational, social and psychological cost.

The minister emphasized that protecting the students' and teachers' health requires health measures given the risks this decision carries, indicating that the education ministry is coordinating with the health ministry to ensure the application of and adherence to health protocols.

Nuaimi assured that all schools had been supplied with sanitizers and other protective equipment, indicating that the first week of the scholastic year will be dedicated to educating students on safety measures and the correct use of school facilities.

The minister stressed that parents have a key role in these circumstances, urging them not to send their children to school should they any symptoms of the coronavirus disease. He also called on students with asthma or any other chronic diseases in areas where COVID-19 infections had been recorded to stay at home and utilize distance education.

Nuaimi also urged parents to encourage their children to avoid close contact with their peers, adhere to social distancing and go home right after classes. He noted that school canteens will not open and parents will have to cater for their children and provide them with food and water.

The minister indicated that the opening of schools will remain tied to the Kingdom’s epidemiological status, noting two key criteria governing this issue: the school’s success to meet the health protocol requirements in terms of space allocated to each student inside and outside the classroom and the epidemiological situation of the area where the school is located.

In areas not seeing any infections or isolation measures and where schools meet the set requirements (one square meter for each student inside the classroom and two square meters outside of it), the educational process will continue in full and as usual, Nuaimi pointed out.

However, in schools failing to meet the criteria on social distancing, a mixture of in-person and distance education will be employed, he explained, adding that half of the class will come to school on certain days while the other half will receive distance education and vice versa.

In areas isolated or locked-down, the minister said, schools will not open and distance education will be used. Furthermore, if a school sees an infection, it will be closed and will resort to distance education, according to the minister.

Nuaimi said that sporting, cultural and extracurricular activities will be suspended and student’s arrival and departure at double-shift schools will be at different times with intervals no less than 10 minutes.