The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) announced changes to its previous three-phase back-to-school plan for the 2020/21 academic year. The new plan will apply blended learning during the first semester of the next academic year.
A combination of online and classroom-based learning will be implemented in all stages of education across public and private schools, preschools and the higher education institutions.
Based on the new approach, students will attend to school premises once or twice a week, with a maximum attendance rate of 30% of school capacity per day. This will allow students to attend basic classes and conduct laboratory experiments and tests.
To comply with the health and social distancing requirements, schools will need to break the students into groups of no more than 15 in each classroom. Desks must also be arranged to keep a safe distance of 1.5 meters between students in the classroom.
According to the blended learning model, students will take the mid-semester and end-of-semester exams at school premises. Schools will be responsible for planning the exam schedules to ensure that physical distancing is maintained.
During the first three days (1-3 September), schools will introduce students to the precautionary measures that must be observed while on school campus. Preparatory and high school students will have to wear (cloth) face masks.
