Abu Dhabi authorities will kick off the Blue Schools Initiative across schools in the emirate to rank every institution on the basis of the COVID-19 vaccination rate in accordance with student population.

The initiative has been announced by Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), the education sector regulator in the emirate, with the aim of bringing private and chartered schools closer to “fully open and normal environment by increasing the vaccination rate within the school community”.

Currently, all educators and staff attending physical classes in schools are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 along with all students aged 16 years and older. As part of the Blue Schools initiative, the Abu Dhabi authorities are urging to promote vaccination among students younger than 16 years. Notably, vaccination against COVID-19 for this age group is still optional.

Earlier this month, Adek issued a guide to explain additional benefits offered to schools with higher rates of COVID-19 vaccination. As schools across Abu Dhabi are working towards implementing the initiative, here is all you need to know about the scheme:

When does the Blue Schools initiative come into effect?

According to a statement made by the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee earlier this month, the initiative will start from “term 2 of the current academic year”. It implies the term beginning in January 2022 after the winter break.

How will schools be ranked under the initiative?

Schools will be ranked under four tiers on the basis of the overall COVID-19 vaccination rate of the student population. The four ties include:

· Blue: 85 percent or more of the students physically attending school are vaccinated.

· Green: 65-84 percent of the students physically attending school are vaccinated.

· Yellow: 50-64 percent of the students physically attending school are vaccinated.

· Orange: Less than 50 percent of the students physically attending school are vaccinated.

According to the rules, a child will be considered vaccinated if he/she has received at least one dose of a UAE-approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Where can I see the ranking of my child’s school?

Adek will be publishing the rankings of every school on its website for parents’ reference as soon as the initiative is implemented. Furthermore, the ranking will be updated every two weeks. Later, a personalised view for each student will be added on the Al Hosn app.

Will it be mandatory for children to get COVID-19 vaccination?

No. In its policy, the Adek has clarified that “a central tenet of the initiative is to respect the personal choice of parents by encouraging, not requiring, the vaccination of students”.

What are the privileges provided to schools based on their ranking?

For schools in Blue tier:

· Physical distancing requirement will be removed for students.

· Distance learning - In case of a COVID-19 transmission, contacts will be switched to distance learning. The macrobubble (a group of students and individuals physically isolated from others) will only switch to distance learning if 8-16 classes/bubbles in total report COVID-19 transmission. In addition, the entire school will only be allowed to switch to distance learning if four macrobubbles report COVID-19 cases. Moreover, the switch to distance learning will be allowed for only seven days.

· Students will be allowed to remove masks when outdoors

· Buses in those schools will be allowed operate at 100 percent capacity.

· All kinds of field trips will be permitted.

· All events and extra-curriculars will be allowed including assemblies and graduation ceremonies. Schools will also be allowed to organised interschool activities with other schools in the Blue tier. In addition, parents can attend events restricted to their child’s microbubble by showing Al Hosn Green Pass and negative PCR test with 48-hour validity.

· Compliance visits will be reduced to once a month.

· Children with official vaccination exemptions will be excluded while calculating the vaccination rate.

For schools under Green tier

· All individuals will be required to maintain physical distancing of one-metre from one another, except students grouped in bubbles. This means there will be no change from current standards for Green tier schools.

· Distance learning: A class will switch to distance learning if two positive COVID-19 cases are detected, so there is no change in this requirement. A macrobubble will switch to distance learning if six classes or bubbles, and/or 12 classes in total report COVID-19 cases. In addition, the entire school will switch to distance learning if three macrobubbles(24 people) are infected with COVID-19. At the same time, the switch to distance learning will last seven days only.

· Students in Grade 1 and above will be required to wear masks at all times.

· Buses will be allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity.

· All outdoor field trips will be allowed.

· All intra-school events and extra-curricular activities will be allowed within students of the same school. Parents will be permitted to attend events restricted to their child’s microbubble by showing Al Hosn Green Pass and negative PCR test with 48-hour validity.

· There will be no change from ongoing compliance visit schedule for schools under green tier.

For Schools in Yellow tier

· All individuals are required to maintain one-metre physical distance from others, except students clubbed in bubbles.

· With regards to distance learning, a class will switch to online classes if two positive COVID-19 cases are detected. So, there is no change in this requirement. The macrobubble will switch to distance learning if five classes or bubbles, and/or 10 classes in total, report COVID-19 cases. The entire school will be permitted to switch to distance learning if three macrobubbles (24 people) report COVID-19 cases, which means there will be no change in this requirement. Furthermore, the switch will last for 14 days according to prevailing rules.

· Students in Grade 1 and above are required to wear masks at all times.

· Buses will not be allowed to increase current capacity, which means physical distancing must be maintained between students.

· Field trips will not be permitted for Yellow tier schools.

· All grade level events will be permitted at Yellow tier schools.

· There will be no change from existing compliance visit scheduled for these schools.

Orange tier

Adek has clarified that no additional privileges will be provided as per current operations. This means that Orange tier schools will not be allowed to organise field trips or events for students. In addition, students in Grade 1 and upwards are mandated to continue wearing face masks at all times while also maintaining one-metre physical distancing.

What COVID-19 vaccines are available for children in Abu Dhabi?

Abu Dhabi vaccination centres are offering two COVID-19 vaccines free of charge for children:

Three years and older: Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

12 years and older: Pfizer and Sinopharm vaccines

My child cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons. What can I do to help the school’s ranking?

Parents are urged to apply for vaccination exemption certificate at any official vaccination centre. It must reflect on the child’s Al Hosn app and the certificate must be submitted to the school. Children with official vaccination exemptions will be excluded while calculating the vaccination rate.

How will my child’s privacy be protected, if I choose not to vaccinate my child against COVID-19 at this stage?

As mandated by the Adek, the identification of unvaccinated students is strictly prohibited within the school community. Therefore, it is important for parents to prohibit from disclosing their child's vaccination status to other parents and students.

In the Blue School Initiatives Policy, the Adek has noted that the scheme is aimed at encouraging vaccination. It also aims to condemn the discrimination and stigmatization of unvaccinated students who are physically attending school. There is an anti-discrimination clause calling upon schools to set up an anti-discrimination and anti-stigmatisation policy of its own. It further prohibits schools from requesting or using a child’s vaccination status during the admissions process. Schools are also prohibited from switching unvaccinated students to distance learning or prioritising physical return of children to schools or distance learning based on their vaccination status.

In conclusion, schools will be given four-weeks to maintain their tiers or else they will be downshifted. They will have to follow the rules applicable to the tier, including mask-wearing, distance learning criteria and duration, and frequency of Adek compliance visits.

However, downshifted schools will still be allowed to organise field trips and events along with bus capacity of the higher tier they were previously given.