Possible shift to online education adds to working parents’ stress

AMMAN — Several working parents expressed concern as some schools temporarily shifted to remote learning amid the rise in cases of COVID-19 and its variant Omicron this week.

“Some parents are holding their breath as the number of positive COVID-19 cases and students forced to quarantine rise during the holidays season,” Arwa Majali, a teacher, told The Jordan Times. 

Majali noted that last month many schools in Amman temporarily switched to distance learning after an uptick in reported flu and COVID-19 cases. 

“Positive cases continue to rise, and we must be cognizant of the fact that we may be required to shift from our current instructional model to a virtual model in the future either as a classroom or a school,” Majali said. 

In a recent interview, Secretary General at the Education Ministry Najwa Qubailat told The Jordan Times that the ministry has “no intention” to switch to online teaching next semester. 

Parents interviewed by The Jordan Times stated that they struggle with remote learning while working from home.

Rana Refa’i, a full-time employee and a mother of two, said: “My concern lies whether I will be able to keep everything running smoothly without neglecting my kids or my work responsibilities.”

“The trade-off is I’m either doing a bad job at work or a bad job of parenting, therefore, if schools switch to online teaching I will have to either hire a tutor or quit my job,” Refa’i said. 

Salam Munther, a full-time employee and a mother of four, held the view that working hours have to be more flexible.

“Companies should take into consideration that moms now have another full-time job of tutoring their kids,” she told The Jordan Times.