UAE explains why school buses won’t run next week

The Ministry of Education said plans to assign school buses at private and public schools have been suspended before restoring face-to-face classroom classes the coming week.

Kids will return to class on Monday April 20 but all public and private nursery, kindergarten and school buses will be off the road.

The announcement prompted the questions that many parents may have been asking and the Ministry of Education responded.

While in-person learning has resumed, the ministry said, school bus operations need further operational planning to coordinate with relevant bodies such as public transport authorities and local municipalities so that health standards are met at all levels.

Each school will work with parents to give a high degree of flexibility — and even if schools are fully reliant on school buses or parents cannot make other arrangements, the ministry assured that learning will not stop.

The KHDA will oversee school transport fees in accordance with approved regulations. Public school people need not pay for transport fees.

The ministry further clarified that school districts will be responsible for determining though case by case the circumstances behind lateness which would also take in account family situations and transport problems.

It was rescheduled as part of logistical plans tied to return to face-to-face classes. It will provide more time for transport authorities nationwide to be fully prepared in terms of service operations, as per the highest level safety standards.

Local authorities will be monitoring the operation of school buses on a weekly basis. The Ministry of Education, KHDA or UAE Media Office will announce any developments.

As for private schooling, it will have the option to rely on a hybrid rotational model where classes return in-person on Monday April 20 when necessary and pending an official approval from the KHDA.

The KHDA in Dubai will need to assess individual school readiness and manage the roll-out process efficiently.

Private schools adopting the hybrid rotational model must also deploy staff to avoid fragmentation of learning or having a teacher deliver lessons in-person and remotely at the same time.

The period between March and early April during which distance learning was introduced continued as a precautionary measure.

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