Huda Al-Ghareeb*

Principal Investigator, Assistant Under Secretary for Technical Affairs, Ministry of Health, Kuwait

*Corresponding Author: Huda Al-Ghareeb, Principal Investigator, Assistant Under Secretary for Technical Affairs, Ministry of Health, Kuwait.

Received: October 19, 2022; Published: November 21, 2022

Abstract

Objective: To explain the actions of Ministry Of Health leaders that was taken for the reopening of primary and secondary schools during Covid-19 pandemic under different interventions that create stable school environments associated with academic achievement and parent’s confidence. To explore the role of operation rooms in each six-education districts and how the decisions was applied about the protective strategies in schools and when school closures might be necessary.

Background: The spread of COVID-19 all over the world caused by the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome cornonavirus2 (SARS.CoV.2) has led to a temporary closure of schools, universities and replaced by distance learning to prevent further transmission and potential spread in school setting.

Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of communities. They provide safe, supportive learning environments for children, adolescents, and staff [1].

The Ministry Of Education in Kuwait government decided to temporarily close all schools as part of national lockdown mitigation strategies to prevent Covid-19 transmission and replace it by distant learning which created a set of challenges and difficulties.

Reopening of schools after relaxation of restriction is another challenge with many new standard operating procedures put in place [2].

The online learning with E-learning tools have become a panacea for this unprecedented global pandemic [2] and online teaching required many different skills and competencies than traditional teaching [3].

Excessive screen time is well known to be associated with poor sleep, sedentary habits, mental health problems and physical health issues [4].

Remote learning exacerbated existing educational inequalities, was determined to the educational attainment of students of all ages, and worsened the growing mental crisis among children and adults [5].

Prolonged school closure can affect children’s development and psychological well-being as well as cause several unwanted economic effects. We should force on the learning recovery process from assessing learning consequences during school closures, ensuring their socio-emotional wellbeing and taking measures to address disparities through remedial approaches [6].

Evidence indicates that restoration of functioning of the education system, as it was in pre-Covid times as early as possible appear prudent [7].

Reopening the full time schools safely for all elementary school children should be a top national priority [8].

UNESCO established a framework for reopening schools that mainly centered on “contextualization and continuous adaptation” [9].

Ministry Of Health in all countries recommends schools plan, prepare, and respond using CDC guidance as best practice recommendations to inform their efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of their school communities [10].

Maintaining safe school operation or reopening schools after closure require many considerations, but if done well can promote public health [11].

One of the main concerns with the full reopening of school transmissions leading to large outbreaks, with onward transmission to household members and potentially into the wider community [12].

Reopening school building for the 2021-2022 school year was the most complex decisions to make from leaders in Ministry Of Education and Ministry Of Health in Kuwait. These decisions were more difficult by the lack of definitive evidence about transmission in children or about protective measures in limiting spread of COVID-19 infection.

The Ministry Of Education in Kuwait took a measured step towards reopening schools between 29 Sept 2021 to 23 June 2022, They allow the school to remain open and safe with appropriate implementation of multi-layered mitigation measures where students participation remain essential.

They allow students to go back to school with alternating classes by splitting students in two groups, each attending lessons during half of the week in the governmental schools including (preschool, primary, middle and high school), while reopening of private schools was earlier including either splitting the students in two groups or using bubble one.

To overcome any challenges, MOH provide a strategic plan guidance to support the education school leaders in this difficult time by managing COVID-19 in the school and endorsing control measures with safety legislation.

Reopening Primary and Secondary schools during COVID-19 infection implemented between 26 Sept 2021 to 23 June 2022 in Kuwait included five components: The design and delivery of operation rooms, the role of Ministry Of Health physicians in operation rooms, the role Ministry Of Education staff in operation rooms, operation room’s closure strategy and the monthly reports.

Keywords: COVID-19; School; Operation Rooms; Kuwait

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Citation

Citation: Huda Al-Ghareeb. “School Operational Room Guidance for Reopening Primary and Secondary Schools During COVID-19 Pandemic Kuwait Experience”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 6.12 (2022): 49-56.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Huda Al-Ghareeb. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.