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Doha: Schools have started marking attendance of students following the directive of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education about discipline in classes either in-person or online.
To recall, the Ministry gave two weeks grace period from reopening of the schools for the academic year 2020-21 during which the attendance was not recorded. According to the schools, the attendance of the students is being recorded in school database regardless of their choice of blended learning stream or distance learning.
“To ensure a smooth education process for our girl student amid COVID-19 pandemic, through one of the two streams (blended learning or distance learning) and to record the attendance of students on the National Student Information System (NSIS), we would like to inform you that the absence of students in both streams will be calculated, starting from this week,” a government preparatory school for girls said in a text message sent to the parents yesterday.
“The presence and absence of the students following the blended learning are being recorded as per their presence in the school during those days for each section of the classroom in which they are required to go to school,” it added.
The school said, in the text message, that those students who follow distance learning are being marked absent or presence as per their response to solving the homework and responding to Microsoft-Teams app, the education platform of the Ministry.
The school urged the parents to encourage the students to adhere to attending the school during school days under blended learning and comply to the deadlines for solving assignments and responding to the online platform, the Microsoft-Teams while they are taking lessons from home.
Principal of Pakistan International School-Qatar (PISQ), Nargis Raza Otho has said that school has set up a mechanism to record attendance of the students accurately especially when they are learning from home.
“PISQ created WhatsApp group for students of each section of the class separately. The students are required to register their presence in the morning on the group while they follow distance learning system,” Nargis Raza Otho told The Peninsula.
She said that the attendance of the students are also being ensured during online classes through Zoom. “The school records attendance of students and sends the attendance sheet to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to register in the National Student Information System,” said the Principal. Speaking about the attendance of the students, she said that the attendance of students at PISQ reached from 70 to 80 percent this week.
“With the passing of each day, we are winning parents’ trust. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education is fully cooperating with the schools. Students also showed interest in coming to school,” said Nargis.
