Syrian govt ends school early for over 4 mln students

DAMASCUS: More than four million students in Syria confined at home due to the coronavirus will not resume classes this year but will advance to the next grade, the government said Sunday.
The decision was taken weeks after schools were closed in mid-March to combat the spread of the virus, leaving many students and teachers to adapt to distance learning.
“All primary and secondary school students will move on to the next class,” the government announcement said, according to state news agency SANA.
Brevet and baccalaureate examinations — usually taken at the end of secondary school and high school respectively — will still be sat by 557,000 students, according to the education ministry.
Also Read COVID-19 ‘disaster in the making’ in war-torn Syria The government will increase the number of exam centres to ensure “distance” between students, SANA reported.  After schools were shuttered, some institutions moved to online teaching , while a specialised education ministry TV channel broadcast Arabic, English, mathematics and science courses.