Egypt’s education ministry has defined the requirements for the closure of classes and schools, whether in complexes, villages or governorates, due to the spread of coronavirus among students in the new school year set to start 17 October.

 

A class will be closed for 28 days in the case that more than one student tests positive for coronavirus in a period of two weeks, a document released by the Ministry of Education revealed Sunday. Also, a school will be closed for 28 days in the case two or more classes in the school are closed due to the spread of Covid-19.

 

A school complex will also be shut down for the same period in case one of its schools is closed and then a class of another school in the same complex is closed.

 

Schools in a village or city can be closed on orders of the governorate in the event of quarantining this village or city, and until the period of quarantine is over.

 

Schools in a governorate may also be closed, based on recommendations by the crisis management committee, for at least 28 days if required, the document said, adding that such decisions apply to governmental, private, international and other schools.

 

Egypt’s 23 million school students are scheduled to begin a new academic year 17 October. The ministry has prepared a plan to allow schools, closed since March in the wake of the pandemic, to reopen safely, including deploying remote learning and decreasing attendance days.

 

On 8 September, Minister of Education Tarek Shawki announced that the two days per week rule for attendance will apply to students from kindergarten to grade three, from grade four to six, and grades seven to nine. Grades 10 to 12 will, wherever it is possible, be schooled mostly online.

 

Egypt has so far reported 103,575 coronavirus cases and 5,970 deaths, with a relatively low number of daily cases over the past two months. 

 

The pandemic forced the country to close schools and universities for the last semester and replace exams in many subjects with online research work for final grades.