Dubai: Saudi Arabia is preparing to introduce up to 10 days of remote learning during the school year in four education regions, as part of efforts to integrate online education into the regular school system rather than use it solely as a temporary alternative during emergencies.
The Ministry of Education's proposed pilot will cover Mecca, the Eastern Province, Tabuk and Najran during the 1448 AH academic year, according to an implementation guide reported by Saudi newspaper Okaz.
The experiment will allow participating schools to replace classroom teaching with live online lessons on designated days, while maintaining their regular timetables and requiring students to complete assigned activities and coursework.
The initiative is intended to test the readiness of schools and digital learning platforms, improve teachers' ability to deliver online education and help students develop independent learning skills.
It comes as education authorities in Riyadh have separately extended remote learning across schools in the capital and neighbouring Diriyah until Thursday, October 22, as part of ongoing precautionary measures.
That temporary arrangement is distinct from the ministry's planned pilot in the four other regions.
How the 10-day online learning trial will work
Under the proposed framework, the maximum 10 days of remote learning will be divided into three levels, with responsibility for selecting the dates shared between education authorities and individual schools.
The first level will consist of two nationally coordinated school days, applied uniformly across the four participating education regions.
The second will allow regional education directors to designate three additional days for all schools under their jurisdiction.
The third will give individual headteachers discretion to select up to five days during the academic year, provided they notify their education administration.
However, this final level will be restricted to schools rated as advanced or outstanding in overall performance under the school evaluation system.
Those schools must also meet minimum requirements for student learning outcomes.
Regional education directors will have the authority to grant exceptions where justified by educational needs.
Restrictions on when schools can switch online
The implementation guide sets out restrictions intended to prevent remote learning days from disrupting examinations or other important parts of the academic calendar.
Schools will not be permitted to schedule the trial during the first or final week of a term, or on days designated for periodic, final or international examinations.
Thursdays and Sundays will also be excluded, along with days immediately preceding official holidays and extended weekends.
Regular timetables will remain in force during the trial, and students will be expected to attend online lessons and complete all activities and assignments required under their subject plans.
Education administrations must establish their proposed remote learning dates before the beginning of each term and inform schools and parents in advance.
Schools will then be required to incorporate the dates into their operational plans, ensure students and families have been notified, and monitor implementation.
Teachers and school staff will also be directed to complete electronic learning courses through the National Institute for Educational Professional Development platform.
After each implementation period, schools must submit reports assessing the delivery of innovative online learning activities, with education administrations providing periodic updates to the relevant ministry authorities.
In a separate development, the Riyadh education authorities have extended remote learning for all students and teaching and administrative staff in schools across Riyadh and Diriyah until Thursday, October 22.
The decision, announced as part of continuing precautionary measures, requires schools to deliver lessons through the Madrasati platform and other approved digital learning systems.
The extension applies to male and female students and to educational and administrative employees.
Meanwhile, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences announced that students in Riyadh would also move to remote learning from Sunday, October 18, to Thursday, October 22.
The university said examinations scheduled during that period would be postponed, with replacement dates to be announced later.