Abu Dhabi: Nurseries, schools to face penalties upto Dhs250,000 for flouting Covid-19 protocols

Abu Dhabi: Nurseries, schools to face penalties upto Dhs250,000 for flouting Covid-19 protocols

Nurseries and schools in Abu Dhabi will be fined between Dhs10,000 to Dhs250,000 for violating Covid-19 precautionary measures, the emirate's education regulator has confirmed.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) inspected all schools across the emirate last August and issued NOCs to 220 compliant institutions to open. However, ADEK is mandating further checks to maintain safety standards, with those found circumventing the guidelines set to face penalties.

It will continue regular inspections of all schools and nurseries to ensure ongoing compliance to Covid-19 prevention protocols and to secure the safety of all staff, pupils, and parents.

As of February 21, ADEK has conducted inspections at 221 schools reopening for in-classroom education and 119 operational nurseries.

"We have to put the safety of our community first and ongoing inspections are vital to ensure parents have confidence in the safety protocols of our schools and nurseries,“ explained Amer Al Hammadi, undersecretary of ADEK.

The inspections track compliance across a range of 62 criteria, including adherence to social distancing protocols; the existence of on-premise Covid-19 taskforces; regular cleaning and disinfection programmes; regular Covid-19 testing of staff and students aged 12 years and above; regulated classroom numbers, PPE equipment standards, and daily routine checks conducted