With the UAE schools all set to reopen for a new academic year, students are also preparing themselves to attend the classes and meet their friends after the long summer vacation. Significantly, the UAE education authorities had given the choice between online learning and physical learning to parents for their children noting the fear of virus transmission.

However, it appears that the majority of the students and parents are preferring online learning over going to schools. According to a recent poll conducted by UAE's English Daily Khaleej Times, 61.45 percent of the students prefer e-learning while 38.55 percent of them want to go for physical classes in the schools.

A Ministry of Education survey has also presented similar results with 59 percent backing remote learning during the first term of the new academic year.

In the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools across the country were forced to shut down in March, and classes were moved online to ensure that students do not miss out on their curriculum.

Khaleej Times also reached out to parents and teachers to understand the shift in inclination from on-campus classes to online learning.

An increasing number of COVID-19 cases is one of the major reasons for parents to not allow their children to go schools for physical learning.

"My daughter is 15-year-old, so initially I was of the opinion that she is grown up enough to be able to take care of herself with regards to all safety precautions. However, I am now worried if it would be prudent to expose her to so many peers, teachers and staff on a daily basis," said Madhulika Chatterjee while speaking to the media.

Many students have also started preparing for online learning in the upcoming academic year.

"Though we would love to return to school for a variety of reasons, we have decided to opt for online education for the first term with safety being the need of the hour," said Aditya, Grade 10 student of the Winchester School.

Evidently, schools and the process of learning will not be the same at the start of the academic year with parents, students and teachers preparing for virtual learning.

Speaking to the Khaleej Times, Cirsel Ferrer Kaul, whose 12-year-old son Arabian Ranches is in JESS School, has supported online learning, saying that she does not want him to get exposed to outsiders amid the current situation.

"I am not comfortable sending my son to school yet. Online schooling is a much better option at the moment as we've stayed vigilant throughout the outbreak and do not want to expose our child to so many outsiders suddenly," Cirsel Ferrer Kaul said.

Zoya Shaikh, mother of a 7-year-old girl in Grade 2 student, has expressed concerns over the durability of precautionary measures while her daughter is in school and risks related to a second COVID-19 wave.

"I have a seven-year-old daughter and how does one implement social distancing measures, hand sanitisation and wearing masks for younger children? Wearing a mask for long hours and focusing on studies is not possible for children at a tender age. Also, I've also been apprehensive about a second wave of COVID-19 as has been the case in many countries. So, I would prefer my daughter to do distance learning at least in the initial phase and follow a more wait-and-see approach," she said.

At the same time, parents and students who have opted for physical classes have come to the understanding that schools will not be returning to the same classroom learning environments that they left behind when the lockdown was imposed in the country. It is important for the students who have opted for the traditional mode of learning to adapt to a new and different way of engaging with others while on the campus. They are also preparing themselves for a change in the new term in schools during such uncertain times. This also calls for them to stock up masks and sanitisers ahead of the reopening of their schools for the new term.

Speaking to media, Jayden Shibu, a class 10 student at Amled School Dubai, said: "My parents are 100 percent comfortable sending me to school. I have been preparing for it for some time now and I am looking forward to meeting my friends and teachers again. I'll carry a separate pouch in my school bag that will have essentials like extra masks, hand sanitisers, and tissues that comprise my other vital purchases. I even bought a bigger water bottle as water dispensers in school are not allowed this year."

He also had a few discussions with his parents when they taught him about the necessary precautions to be taken during interactions with other students at the campus.

"I do realise my buses, hallways, cafeterias, and classrooms will look very different now and I am mentally prepared for that," Shibu added.

Alaniz Mary Magdalene, a student at Cambridge International School in Dubai, opted for a combination of both the processes of learning. Talking to media, Alaniz has expressed optimism about the new term despite the adaptive challenges.

"After distance learning being put into practice for so long, going back to school will once again require us to make adjustments. Having a combination of the two learning techniques will provide for a student the most effective way of schooling," Alaniz said.

A Canadian expat in Dubai Mousa Nimer also said that over the last few months, her 7-year-old son has been through a process that has been both transformative and educational for him.

"He has become more aware of the importance of maintaining a hygienic lifestyle and has been practising it by default. When he returns to school, we as parents are very confident and are not too worried about the measures, thanks to his school's great transparency and communication practices," she said.