Most of Oman’s grade schoolers to continue remote education

A teacher puts disinfectant hand gel on a student's palm as she shows the preventive measures to take against swine flu at an Egyptian private school in the Omani capital of Muscat on September 6, 2009. (File/AFP)

• Oman’s Supreme Committee earlier confirmed its decision about the start of the academic year for all schools on Nov. 1
• Teaching modality would be both online and offline to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff

DUBAI: Oman’s Ministry of Education said all students except for 12th graders will continue remote education, daily Times of Oman reported.
“Students from the Grade 1 to Grade 11 will study through the remote learning system, except for Grade 12 students who will have to attend their schools on a week by week system,” the ministry said.
Oman’s Supreme Committee earlier confirmed its decision about the start of the academic year for all schools on Nov. 1 and teaching modality would be both online and offline to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff.
School buses would be allowed to operate at half-capacity and classes will be based on hours of study, depending on the category of schools. Social distancing, wearing of masks, washing hands at frequent intervals have been made mandatory.
On Friday, Oman’s Sultan Haitham approved a medium-term fiscal plan to make government finances sustainable, state media said on Thursday, as the coronavirus crisis and low oil prices batter state coffers.
The country has long had plans to reform its economy, diversify revenues and introduce sensitive tax and subsidies reform, but they dragged under the late Sultan Qaboos, who died in January after half a century in power.