Parents and teachers welcome Education Ministry’s decision to conduct classes remotely

Many said the decision saved them from potential risks in case of severe weather conditions

Godwin Isaac K

DOHA: Parents and teachers in Qatar welcomed the decision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to suspend physical classes and conduct them remotely on Tuesday in response to adverse weather forecasts.

They also expressed their happiness about the decision as it came as a precautionary measure to mitigate potential risks posed by any inclement weather, safeguarding both students and teachers from potential hazards associated with commuting in such conditions.

Also, the decision was hailed as timely in light of the severe rains and flooding which happened in the UAE and Oman.

“We would like to convey our sincere appreciation for the prompt decision taken by the Ministry of Education & Higher Education by declaring online classes on Tuesday for the schools considering the safety and security of students due to the adverse weather forecast,” Shibu Abdul Rasheed, Principal of Noble International School, told News Trail.

“As per the directive of the Ministry, we initiated online classes for all students using the online platform and encouraged very good attendance and achieved excellent attendance percentage,” he added.

 “Initially, we found that the weather was calm on Tuesday and maybe we didn’t require to go online but strong winds started at 10:30 am and again winds and rains at 12:00 pm. Everyone was happy with the government decision and we were happy that we were at home and not worried about the safety of kids and our own safety,” Prof. Manmadhan Mambally, from MES Indian School, said.

“Classes were held smoothly through online platforms as we had become accustomed to online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic, and we finished by 12:30pm,” he added.

Parents also welcomed the decision.

“It was a very good decision by the government as it is always better to have online classes if there are any alarming weather forecasts. We were all under the same roof knowing that everyone I care about is safe. Otherwise, it would have been chaos as we all would have been in different places and it would have been difficult to commute in the weather and we would have been worried and tense,” said Farida Lesin a working mother.

Several parts of Qatar experienced rains and heavy winds yesterday, though it wasn’t severe as expected.

Meanwhile, several people flying into and out of Doha talked about their flights experiencing severe turbulence in the bad weather.

“A friend who was flying to India via Abu Dhabi said she and fellow passengers were in deep shock and some were screaming after the flight met with severe turbulence before reaching Abu Dhabi. She spoke about her experience in a WhatsApp group,” a resident said.