MUSCAT: As the new school year is set to begin in November, only 16 students will be allowed in a classroom while following strict social distancing and precautionary measures, a top official at Ministry of Education said.

Speaking in an interview Dr. Abdullah bin Khamis Ambosaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, informed that only basic academic subjects will be taught within the classroom, while the other subjects will be taught through distance (online) system.

The official also pointed out that in the event of any suspected Covid-19 infection, the classroom or school will be closed.

 “The plan of blended learning varies from one school to another according to the student density of each school in relation to students’ attendance, so that the number of students within a class does not exceed 16 students to ensure physical distancing,” he said.

“All the basic academic subjects will be taught within the classroom, while the other subjects will be taught remotely. The educational directorates have the flexibility to adapt the students’ attendance to suit their available capabilities. There is a health protocol that has been implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Health that includes prevention measures and physical distancing, and it will be applied inside schools to ensure the safety of students.”

According to him, modifications have been made to the curriculum to suit the application of blended education. “The ministry has provided two types of learning platforms for students, a preparation platform for teachers, in addition to an electronic library and it seeks through telecommunications companies to strengthen the Internet and extend this network to schools that are not covered by the service,” he said.