579 students from 15 different nationalities have been welcomed by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) into the pilot phase of its first Virtual Charter School. It’s a groundbreaking new educational choice for Abu Dhabi-based living abroad students from lower-income families who were impacted financially by the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Abu Dhabi Virtual Charter School was introduced in October 2020 to provide a high-quality education to students who were forced to leave private schools because their parents could no longer afford the fees. It mainly follows the Ministry of Education (MoE) private school curriculum.

Edurizon Education Services, a subsidiary of AlephYa Education, the pan-regional education investment company focused on providing accessible and high-quality education around the GCC operates the new Virtual Charter School, which offers a blended educational experience. Adek's Education Partnerships Sector provides oversight, management, and regulatory guidelines and is responsible for the emirate's successful Charter School model based on a student-centric approach.

Students are allowed to move to alternative private schools under Adek's rules and regulations. The Virtual Charter School caters to students in grades 5 to 11 and provides loaned digital devices on a complimentary basis. Parents who have enrolled their children in the Virtual Charter School and have been financially impacted by COVID-19 must pay all unpaid sums to their children's previous private school and settle fee repayments before re-enrolling their kids in the private school system.

“The Virtual Charter School welcomes students of all ethnicities whose families have been affected by COVID-19. This not-for-profit public-private partnership model offers alternative education provision to directly address learning loss in a pandemic and offers an essential bridge for students to complete their studies," Sara Musallam, Adek's Chairman, said.

“We know the importance of quality education, and were ready to endorse the initiative. Adek will oversee the project's implementation and execution, while Edurizon will run and manage the schooling and educational services,” said Edurizon Board member Saeed Al Hajeri.

NEVER STOP LEARNING: With the launch of the 2021 #NeverStopLearning activities program, schools across Abu Dhabi will be on a two-week spring break beginning March 28th. The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) seeks to keep students happy and enhance their learning experiences. Students in Grades 10/Year 11 to 12/Year 13 will participate in a spring break virtual pop-up series, which will run from Monday, March 29th to Wednesday, April 7th, and will explore study possibilities in Finland, the UK, and the US.

The webinars are part of ADEK's Rize University Preparation and Career Guidance Programme (UPCG Programme), which seeks to assist students to improve their core academic skills, prepare for applications to top domestic and international tertiary institutions, and identify best-in-class domestic talent for Adek's international scholarship programs.

The webinars will concentrate on different aspects of studying and living in that country. The two-hour ‘Study in Finland' webinars will take place on March 29th and 30th from 3 pm to 5 pm. In the first webinar, students can meet members from Finland's higher education system, faculty, and current students, as well as learn about the Finnish educational system. The second webinar will focus on Finnish culture, particularly their love of nature, as well as the country's technology industry.

The ‘Study in the USA' pop-up webinars will take place on the 31st of March and 1st of April from 4 pm to 7 pm, and will learn about the advantages of studying in the US. The first day's discussions will focus on university choices and the application process in the US. Second day will be devoted to an overview of the Popular App, the world's largest global university application network.