Manama : In a major move in education, Saudi Arabian is all set to restart in-person schooling for vaccinated students.
Confirming the development, the country on Sunday announced the in-person classes for intermediate and secondary school students who have received full doses of a covid vaccine.
Primary school and kindergarten pupils will continue with online classes. However, they will return to their classrooms once seventy percent of the country’s population has been vaccinated with two doses or October 30, 2021, whichever comes first.
Classes will resume in phases to ensure physical distancing on campus, according to sources. But, the government has not made it clear when the classes will start. Schools in Saudi Arabia are currently closed for the summer vacation. Intermediate and secondary school students are expected to return to the classroom when the schools reopen in September.
All students and teachers will have to wear face masks and be subject to screening at entry and exit points. Regular sanitisation will also have to be carried out, a health ministry source said.
Saudi Ministry of Education closed the Kingdom’s schools and universities in March 2020 in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Over 27 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the Kingdom so far.
Saudi Arabia's Food and Drug Authority has approved the AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna vaccines to date.
