(This article is one of two in a package. The other is “Palestine’s Universities Scramble to Move to Online Learning During Coronavirus Shutdown.”)
CAIRO—With the continuing global spread of the new coronavirus and some Arab countries responding by closing schools and universities, online education, though long disfavored, is now being seen as an essential means of continuing the educational process and avoiding students’ losing an academic year.
Countries like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have announced the start of online-learning projects to provide alternative educational resources for students while regular classes are suspended. Other countries, like Egypt and Jordan, have announced their intention to resort to this method if they are forced to disrupt classes. (See a related article, “Coronavirus Fears Shut Down Universities and Schools in the Arab World.)