Education Ministry: TEAMS Session Targeted School and Staff Readiness for Electronic Classes
Pilot test of TEAMS platform to ensure schools' readiness for remote learning
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
- Al-Tabtabaai directed school administrations to identify and address obstacles during the trial period.
- Prepared to shift to remote learning at any time as circumstances dictate, to ensure the continuity of the educational process.
The Ministry of Education clarified that activating the “Microsoft Teams” platform for one hour across all elementary, middle, and secondary school stages this Saturday morning aims to verify the readiness of schools, educational staff, and learners to use the platform for delivering classes electronically.
In a statement, the Ministry noted that “as a step reflecting its commitment to enhancing the digital readiness of the educational system and ensuring the efficiency of the remote learning framework, the Ministry announced the activation of the ‘Microsoft Teams’ platform for one hour across all elementary, middle, and secondary school stages this morning. This is to implement remote classes according to the approved schedules for each stage and to assess the readiness to handle this educational mode when necessary.”
It added that the trial aims to verify the readiness of schools, educational staff, and learners to use the platform for delivering classes electronically, and to ensure the efficiency of technical and organizational procedures related to remote learning. It also seeks to identify any obstacles faced by students or teachers during class implementation, with a view to addressing them and enhancing the efficiency of the e-learning system.
In this context, the Ministry pointed out that Minister of Education Jalal Al-Tabtabaai interacted with learners by attending three classes conducted via the platform in several schools. He monitored the progress of the remote educational process, reviewed how students interacted with teachers, and checked the regularity of classes according to the specified schedules. This step reflects the Ministry’s interest in assessing the readiness of the educational system on the ground. The classes attended by the Minister included a Social Studies session for the seventh grade, section 7-3, at Al-Faihaa Middle School for Girls, taught by teacher Sara Al-Musbah; a Constitution session for the twelfth grade at Jassem Al-Kharafi Secondary School, taught by teacher Issa Al-Hafiz; and an English Language session for the eleventh grade at Fahad Al-Salem Boys’ Secondary School, taught by teacher Badr Al-Abdullah.
The classes witnessed interaction between the Minister and the attending students through the exchange of questions and inquiries, as well as monitoring their participation during lessons. This allowed for an assessment of the nature of educational interaction via the platform and the ability of teachers to continue delivering educational content and maintaining direct communication with learners in the e-learning environment.
Monitoring of the three classes attended by the Minister showed that the targeted classes did not encounter any problems during the implementation of remote learning, allowing them to be completed according to the specified mechanism. The Ministry emphasized the importance of continuing to monitor field observations and utilizing them to develop the trial and raise the technical and organizational readiness of schools.
The Minister of Education directed school administrations to follow up on any obstacles students might face during the trial period, working to identify and address them. He stressed that the platform activation is part of a one-day trial aimed at verifying the efficiency of implementing remote classes and identifying any potential problems to be addressed and resolved with appropriate solutions in the future.
Al-Tabtabaee emphasized that this experience represents an opportunity to assess the readiness of schools, educational institutions, and learners to handle remote education, stressing the importance of documenting any observations that arise during implementation and addressing them seriously, thereby contributing to the development of operational mechanisms and enhancing technical and organizational readiness, while ensuring the efficient and regular delivery of classes.
He praised the positive cooperation of parents and their commitment to monitoring their children and supporting their participation in virtual classes, while also commending the dedication of teachers and the efforts of school administrations in creating a suitable educational environment and ensuring the success of the initiative. He affirmed that this synergy between families and schools reflects a spirit of shared responsibility and a commitment to maintaining the continuity of the educational process with efficiency.
He underscored the necessity of preparing for a shift to remote education at any time dictated by circumstances, ensuring the continuity of the educational process and preventing its disruption by any new developments. He stressed the importance of integrating efforts among school administrations, educational bodies, and relevant authorities, and leveraging the outcomes of the experience to strengthen the resilience of the educational system and its capacity to fulfill its mission under all circumstances.
