During Roya's Nabd Al-Balad program Sunday, the Minister of Education Tayseer Al-Nuaimi said that the continuation of in-person learning depends on the health situation in the Kingdom, noting that the decisions issued by the Prime Minister Sunday stipulated that distance learning is an approved form of education that serves all purposes stipulated in the Jordanian Education Law.

Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh ordered that online learning should remain as an option for university and school students until the end of the second semester. This came after the Kingdom has been witnessing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Also Read: PM orders online learning to remain an option until end of second semester

Nuaimi added that the continuation of in-person education depends on the pandemic situation in Jordan, which has been repeatedly confirmed. Any new decisions regarding schools will be linked to the adherance of the health protocols and developments of the health situation, he said.

He pointed out that after the end of the second week of returning to in-person education, the ministry analyzed the options which involve the second stage of the gradual return to schools.

The second phase of returning to in person education was previously set to begin Feb. 21, which includes students from grades 10 and 11, followed by students from the fourth to ninth grades in the third phase on Mar. 7.

Also Read: Third grade students return to classrooms Tuesday

Upon monitoring the reopening of schools and the pandemic situation in the Kingdom, the ministry opted to delay the return of the aforementioned students due to the high rates of COVID-19 infections and the spread of the mutated COVID-19 strain.

Notably, the Minister of State for Media Affairs Ali al-Ayed Saturday said no additional sector will reopen due to the current COVID-19 situation in the Kingdom and increasing daily positive PCR test rate. 

Also Read: No additional sectors will reopen due to current COVID-19 situation: Ayed

Nuaimi pointed out that 65 teachers, 20 administrators and 35 students have been confirmed to have COVID-19 infections Sunday.

He added that 16 schools were converted to distance education, bringing the cumulative number of schools in distance education to 25, including 12 government schools and 11 private schools.

The number of classes that switched distance learning Sunday reached 48 departments as a result of recording infections, bringing the number to 121 school departments.