Egypt’s Minister of Education and Technical Education, Tarek Shawky, has revealed the measures to be taken for the new academic year, due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a televised interview, Shawky said that his ministry will activate an integrated education system based on both virtual and face-to-face classroom participation.
He added that students from kindergarten up to third grade of primary school should attend school every day, due to their need to directly interact with teachers.
The minister affirmed that students from fourth grade to sixth grade of primary school should attend classes in person three to four days per week. High school students will be required to attend classes in person two days per week, in addition to attending virtual classes.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education is looking into the possibility of allowing preparatory school students to physically attend school for two to three days per week. This would occur in addition to virtual classes in order to complete the curriculum.
Shawky pointed out that that the final schedule for the new academic year has yet to be confirmed. He added that the ministry is keen to apply social distancing and other precautionary measures in all classes, with no more than 20 students to be allowed in each class.
The minister also said that the upcoming academic year will start on 17 October, with the study period to extend over 33 weeks.
