In a move aimed at enhancing the safety of the school community and ensuring the continuity of the educational process with high flexibility, the Ministry of Education has granted school principals expanded authority to make appropriate decisions in the event of emergency weather phenomena. This decision falls within the framework of the guide for transitioning from in-person to remote learning in emergency situations, which outlines clear mechanisms for dealing with warnings issued by the relevant authorities.
The context of digital transformation and decentralization of decision-making
This new approach comes as a culmination of the successes achieved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of e-learning, specifically through the "My School" platform, which has become a global model for ensuring the continuity of education. Whereas previously decisions to suspend classes were centralized and time-consuming, potentially disproportionate to the rapid changes in weather conditions, decentralization has become the optimal solution. School principals, being closest to the situation and best positioned to assess the on-the-ground conditions in coordination with education departments, reflect a qualitative leap in the administrative thinking of the education system.
Mechanisms for dealing with weather warnings
The ministry outlined detailed protocols for dealing with emergencies, dividing the procedures into two phases:
- Before the start of the school day: In the event of early warnings about significant weather phenomena, school principals have been given the authority to immediately inform parents not to go to school or to quickly come and pick up their children if they are on their way, in order to avoid risks before they occur.
- During the school day: If a severe weather event strikes the school while students are inside classrooms, students should not be allowed to leave except in cases of extreme necessity. The school administration is responsible for keeping them in safe locations (classrooms or enclosed halls), focusing on their psychological well-being to calm and reassure them until the danger has passed or their parents arrive.
School safety and health procedures
The ministry stressed the need for strict preventative measures within school buildings, including tightly closing windows and doors to prevent dust or dirt from entering, and operating appropriate ventilation and air conditioning systems to ensure air quality. The ministry also gave special attention to students with chronic respiratory illnesses (such as asthma), directing that continuous communication be maintained with their parents to ensure the availability of emergency medications (inhalers) and to provide immediate medical care, as well as to transfer any critical cases to the nearest health center in coordination with the Red Crescent.
Criteria for switching to distance learning
The ministry, in cooperation with the National Center for Meteorology and Civil Defense, has set precise digital criteria that, if met, necessitate the suspension of in-person classes and an immediate shift to distance learning. These criteria include:
- Rainfall: Heavy rainfall ranging from 10 to 50 mm per hour or more.
- Wind and dust: Wind speed exceeding 60 km/h, or horizontal visibility of less than 1 km due to dust.
- Temperatures: A severe drop to as low as -5 degrees Celsius, or a rise exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.
- Other phenomena: waves rising to more than 3 meters, or snowfall exceeding 5 cm per hour.
This decision reflects the keenness of the concerned authorities to prioritize human safety, while ensuring that the wheel of education does not stop, taking advantage of the advanced technological infrastructure that the Kingdom possesses.
