Teaching and learning from ‘comfort’ of home: Bahrain

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Through various online platforms, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s educational process is progressing in the right direction.

In fact, the Education Ministry has also saved BD1 million from the value of textbooks worth around BD2 million through online learning brought about by the pandemic.

Answering parliamentary questions submitted by MP Dr Sawsan Kamal, Education Minister Dr Majed Al Nuaimi said that 14 YouTube channels were set up by the Ministry during the pandemic, in addition to the lessons broadcast on television.

Remote learning is being implemented by the Ministry as part of the Kingdom’s precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of the students and the entire school community.

Dr Al Nuaimi stressed the Ministry’s keenness to implement the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the need to hold classes virtually during the current exceptional circumstances to ensure the progress of the educational process and that all measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus are in place.

He highlighted the Ministry’s continuous efforts to provide education for all students, whether for those who choose blended learning, through in-person attendance and online learning, or for those who choose to study online through the e-content-rich educational portal, virtual lessons, televised lessons or lessons on the Ministry’s 14 YouTube channels.

The Ministry has also provided support through its educational platforms that feature hundreds of lessons, academic activities, tests, past exams and model answers.

It is also using television and radio channels and YouTube to present lessons to all students, including those with special needs.

Hotlines have also been set up to ensure easy and open contact between all stakeholders. The Minister noted that Bahrain was mentioned three times at the UNESCO meeting held the past weeks when they discussed the experiences of countries in dealing with the pandemic.

“We look with great pride in His Majesty the King’s royal directives to sustain the quality of education in the Kingdom despite the raging pandemic.

Thanks to the implementation of the third phase of digital empowerment, the Ministry has remained strong in the face of pandemic,” said Dr Kamal. “We value the electronic portals and the commitment of teachers to nurture the students, as well as the major role parents, are playing, to continue the success of our educational system."

During these exceptional learning conditions, efforts are being made to ensure the continuity of the learning process at classrooms, workshops and laboratories through various virtual platforms.

A special channel for the Gifted Student Care Center, within the official channel of the Ministry on the YouTube platform, has been launched to support talented and creative students in public and private schools.

Through the YouTube channel, the talents and abilities of gifted students are highlighted, as well as publishing their achievements at the local, regional and international levels.

But while students continue studying remotely, the Ministry remains committed to promoting the culture of reading books to build a student’s personality and capabilities.

‘New normal’

Virtual learning will be the “new normal” for some time in the Kingdom. With education being thrown into disarray by the coronavirus, teachers are forced to teach their students from home to allow teaching and learning to continue.

COVID-19 has given teachers and students an opportunity to explore online teaching and learning when face-to-face classrooms are not possible. It is not an easy task, especially for teachers.

This is a challenging period for teachers during an extraordinary global situation. All of a sudden, students are learning remotely and teachers are facing new challenges they haven’t faced before.