Hope you are keeping safe. Kindly see below the latest edition of country updates across the MENA on latest news regarding education in the region.
Visas and Immigration
UK visa services have now resumed across all visa application centres in the Gulf. Appointments are currently limited; the Priority Visa service is only available in Gulf states with the exception of locations on the UK’s travel ban list. The Super Priority Visa Service is not yet available in any location. Services and appointment availability are being kept under regular review. Our current service standard for all visit and student visas is 15 working days. UKVI is (temporarily) issuing students with a 90-day vignette to travel and collect their BRP in the UK, instead of the usual 30-day vignette. More information can be found here: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/en
Advice on entering the UK and self-isolation requirements:
https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control
Update on National Restrictions:
Going to school or college:
Primary schools, secondary schools, and further education colleges reopened on 8th March. In the circumstances, it is not possible for exams in the summer to go ahead. This year’s 2021 exams approach for GCSE’s, AS and A levels will require teachers to submit grades by 18 June 2021.
Going to university:
All students who have not yet returned to campus and in-person teaching will be able to do from 17th May, at the earliest. This is in line with Step 3 of the UK Government’s roadmap where restrictions will be further eased. An estimated 49% of students are already eligible to return to in-person teaching, subject to decisions by their institutions.
On return, all students and staff are encouraged to take three supervised tests at an asymptomatic testing site on campus, where available. Students will also have access to home testing kits throughout the summer term through both the Government’s offer of free rapid LFD tests twice weekly to everyone in England, and ‘University Collect’ services, under which universities will distribute tests on campus.
All tests will be free, and all students and staff who test positive from an LFD test will need to self-isolate for 10 days, unless they receive a negative PCR test within two days.
Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/remaining-university-students-to-return-to-campus-from-step-3-of-the-roadmap-no-earlier-than-17-may
For travel advice, please visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We encourage institutions who are considering travelling to sign up for alerts. We are also keeping up to date with local government websites for any updates and restrictions, so kindly feel free to contact us if you need any information and we will refer you to the relevant websites.
IELTS
IELTS testing is available across the UAE. The British Council’s priority is always to ensure the safety and well-being of our test takers, employees, and the communities in which we operate. We are committed to protecting the health of our test takers, while also trying to minimise disruption to life-changing opportunities for international higher education and migration. For this reason, we are scrupulously following the instructions from authorities and are managing our activities according to official guidelines. https://www.britishcouncil.ae/en/resume-your-ielts-journey-today .
Additionally, British Council has introduced a new learning resource GEL IELTS. Exclusively available to all British Council IELTS for UKVI test takers. As test takers complete practice, GEL IELTS will adapt and offer personalised study plan to help you get the score you need. Access to GEL IELTS is free and unlimited for the British Council IELTS for UKVI test takers.
More information on https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/prepare/ukvi-practice-tests/gel-ielts-prep
For more MENA updates, webinars, market insights and other IES services, please go to your alerts settings and select updates from MENA. If you have any feedback or require any additional information, please contact me on dina.kanan@ae.britishcouncil.org
Thank you and stay safe
Dina Kanan
UAE Manager, International Education Services
Bahrain:
Covid-19: Bahrain to close stores and restauranrs for two weeks
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/bahrain/covid-19-bahrain-to-close-stores-and-restaurants-for-two-weeks-1.79476981
Contact
For more information about Bahrain, please contact Kawthar AlArab, Projects Manager, Bahrain Kawthar.AlArab@britishcouncil.org.bh
Egypt:
Achievements of Higher Education and Scientific Research during the year .. Establishment of 9 new universities, the most prominent
Contact Information
For more information about Egypt, please contact Sahar Khamis, Head of Education Programmes, Egypt (Sahar.khamis@britishcouncil.org.eg)
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
Invitation to attend The UK – Saudi Interest Group (UKSIG) Meeting (08 June 2021)
Join us for the upcoming The UK – Saudi Interest Group (UKSIG) Meeting to learn the latest updates from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau and Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia.
When: Tuesday 08 June 2021 (1100-1230 UK Time)
Register here: http://bit.ly/UKSIG-meeting-June2021
If you have questions for the speakers, Please submit these through the registration form. Being able to submit the questions to SACB in advance of the meeting allowed an opportunity for SACB to investigate matters further and provide more answers, making for more productive discussions, and so we would welcome your questions in advance of the meeting again. The registration deadline is Friday 4June 2021.
Saudi Arabia ends travel ban on 11 countries including UK
Saudi Arabia has lifted travel restrictions on 11 key countries and removed from the red list, originally imposed to curb the spread of a variant strain of coronavirus.
From 1 a.m. on Sunday, passengers from the UAE, Germany, the US, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Japan may enter the Kingdom with the implementation of quarantine regulations.
Saudi Arabian authorities will not require non-Saudi nationals to undergo one week of quarantine if they have received two full doses of a government-approved COVID-19 vaccination or have recovered from COVID-19 within the previous six months. Any foreign national who has not received a government-approved vaccination or recovered from COVID-19 must quarantine in government-approved accommodation for seven days. Those under quarantine will have to undergo a PCR test on their seventh day of isolation.
Contact Information
For more information, you may contact Rizwan Safdar, Education Project Manager KSA, (Rizwan.Safdar@sa.britishcouncil.org)
Qatar:
Ministry of Education announces opening of registration for scholarships
Contact Information
For more information, you may contact Paula Jensch, Project Coordinator Qatar, (Paula.Jensch@qa.britishcouncil.org)
UAE:
UAE Covid vaccine: schools set to welcome 100% students in September
Covid: Dubai schools can host graduation ceremonies
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/covid-dubai-schools-can-host-graduation-ceremonies
Graduation ceremonies at schools in Dubai to be online this year – KHDA
https://gulfbusiness.com/graduation-ceremonies-at-schools-in-dubai-to-be-online-this-year-khda/
UAE: 12th grade students appearing for exam must undergo Covid-19 test
https://gulfbusiness.com/uae-12th-grade-students-appearing-for-exam-must-undergo-covid-19-test/
Rebuilding Graduate Medical Education After a Crisis: Perspectives of Medical Residents in the United Arab Emirates
New IB curriculum school to open in Dubai in August
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/education/new-ib-curriculum-school-to-open-in-dubai-this-august
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Dina Kanan, UAE Manager, International Education Services (dina.kanan@ae.britishcouncil.org)