Up to Dh250,000 will be paid to private schools found to be inconsistent with the Covid-19 safety guidelines issued by the opening of classrooms on campus, according to education authorities.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Information confirmed to the Khaleej Times on Sunday that it had issued a list of fines to private schools in the community, including a large fine if the school failed to follow the health and safety procedures previously issued for school reopening. Safety guidelines were intended to provide a safe learning environment for students and the school community in the midst of Covid-19 disease.
In July Adek had announced the reopening of private schools from August 30 with classroom lessons, and issued a comprehensive guideline for similar protection, including daily temperature checks for all teachers, administrative staff and students, wearing face masks and steps away from the community. the safety of students and teachers alike.
A text with the terms and conditions of re-opening has been sent to all independent schools everywhere.
Penalties for non-compliance with guidelines
Adek also sent to schools a list of fines, including a warning and fines of Dh10,000 and Dh20,000 for missing documents or records for the use of Covid-19 measures if caught for violating the first, second and third time, respectively.
The sanctions list also imposes fines of Dh10,000, Dh20,000 and Dh30,000 for insufficient use of security measures during the first, second and third arrests, respectively.
If a school is caught violating the Health Safety and Environmental (HSE) risk regulations, it will face fines of Dh50,000 for the first time, Dh75,000 for the second time, and Dh100,000 for the third time if caught red-handed. And if the violation is found to be a violation of the law three times, the school is required to transfer to a far-flung school and parents are entitled to transfer their children to another school and receive full school fees.
According to Adek, with the full negligence of the Covid-19 security measures, the school will face a fine of Dh250,000. If a double offense is found, the school needs to transfer full-time education and parents have the right to transfer their children to another school and receive full school fees.
Adek said its law enforcement teams had conducted more than 520 tests in schools since the start of the school year, as part of intensifying their monitoring efforts to ensure compliance with monitoring measures.
The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis & Disasters Committee had previously warned that it would use surveillance to switch any school to remote learning if a Covid-19 case was suspected, until the results of the test were confirmed by the Abu Dhabi Health Department (DoH). This is done to protect the health and safety of students and to protect public health.
According to the committee, if a person is suspected of having the virus, schools will review the parents directly in the curriculum and if a case is involved.
The Department of Education (MoE) has also said that UAE schools will be temporarily closed or asked to work with reduced force if the number of Covid-19 cases increases.
Covid-19 safety guidelines for schools:
- Daily temperature checks for all teachers, administrative staff and students.
- Teachers should always wear masks.
- All learners over the age of six must wear masks while at school.
- Strict rules of social exclusion of 1.5m must be followed by all while in school.
- The number of learners in each class should be limited to only 15.
- Schools should change the number of breaks to encourage physical activity and avoid congestion.