UNESCO Highlights Saudi Education Ministry’s Efforts to Confront Pandemic
Gulf
Asharq Al-Awsat
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has published a report on the efforts of the Saudi Ministry of Education in confronting the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during the second semester of the last school year. The detailed report published on its website highlights the Kingdom’s regional and global role in managing the crisis and its exceptional efforts to mitigate its effects. It also discusses how the Ministry ensured the continuation of the remote educational process and maintained the safety of more than six million students in public schools and universities. The report indicates the Ministry’s success in implementing its internal emergency and crisis management plans since February 1. These plans were updated continuously, intensifying awareness and media campaigns, to prepare for any emergency in dealing with the pandemic. In addition, specialized committees and work teams were formed to ensure that the education and training system was ready to produce results that guarantee the safety of education personnel. The report also deals with the success story of the rapid transition from in-person to distance education, within 10 hours of the decision to close schools in late March. The iEN TV Channels started broadcasting lessons via satellite, eventually reaching up to 20 channels. The lessons were archived and available on YouTube where views have reached more than 61 million. In addition, the Unified Education System has achieved 19 million visits. The iEN Enrichment Portal has recorded four million educational sessions for two million users, and the virtual kindergarten application benefited 265,000 children in the Kingdom. In higher education, 27 public universities hosted two million virtual classes and more than six million panel discussions. These figures reveal the great efforts made by the Ministry of Education during the Spring 2020 Semester. It was expected that the numbers and results would be better with the beginning of the Fall 2020 Semester after the adoption of the Madrasati platform and the great successes it has achieved for all beneficiaries. The report reviews the activation of plans and the launch of work teams in all sectors of education. The report included an account of all the efforts exerted by the various components of the education, training, and research sectors that formed a homogeneous and integrated fabric with the rest of the state’s sectors. It highlighted a desire in the Kingdom to emerge from the crisis efficiently with minimal damage.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2553786/unesco-highlights-saudi-education-ministry%E2%80%99s-efforts-confront-pandemic
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