BACK TO SCHOOL - ipsos.com · Creating a lot of backlash and upset students • Graduating students...

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BACK TO SCHOOL:

THE PERSPECTIVE

TEACHERS IN UAE

APPLICATION OF SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE &

OF PARENTS,

STUDENTS, &

ANALYTICS

WHAT IS SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE?

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✓Think of the UAE’s largest focus group

✓Where participants share their views and opinions en masse, unprompted, about your company, your brands and your competitors in the context of their day to day life experiences

✓Available 24/7 365

✓ Leveraging technology, (Synthesio from Ipsos) and AI driven data analytics, conversations are synthesized for business action

✓Be it understanding trends, market dynamics, customer feedback, brand and comms performance insights are customized for your business objective

✓Empowering you to engage with UAE audiences like never before

Image credit: Gulf News Archive

REPORT OBJECTIVES

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In the context of the fast-changing situation of “Back to School” in the UAE Ipsos decided to deploy social intelligence as a methodology to keep on top of the latest trends. Specific

objectives in this report are:

Assess how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted

schools, teachers and parents to date?

What are the perceptions and expectations for Back to

School since September 2020?

How can brands help?

RESEARCH APPROACH

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DATA SOURCES

✓ Local media sites including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Blogs, Forums, mainstream media content

METHODOLOGY

✓Social Intelligence: mining data from social and mainstream media sources

✓Bottom up and top down topic analysis and qualitative review

DATES & LANGUAGES

✓ March 1st – October 12th

2020

✓ English & Arabic

ANALYSIS PROCESS FOR UNSTRUCTURED DATA

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CHAPTER 1

IMPACT

FEBRUARY

TO JULY

2020

COVID-19 IMPACT ON SCHOOLS & EDUCATION

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DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS DISTANCE LEARNING

• As the pandemic started with lots of ambiguity, many parents were worried

about their children from catching the virus. When virtual learning began,

some parents were overwhelmed and concerned about their kids’

education and future, while others were adapting.

TUITION FEES AND FINANCIAL SITUATION

• During complete lockdown, schools were shifted 100% to virtual learning,

and parents did not understand why tuition needs to be paid fully.

• Moreover, some parents lost their jobs or received salary pay cuts making it

difficult to pay tuition fees

PUBLIC SCHOOLS FACE UNFAIR GRADING SYSTEM

• Students graduating from public schools were surprised to see their last

term’s marks drop, finding it unfair especially during an unexpected

situation as the pandemic and needing to rapidly adapt to new learning

methods


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ADAPTING TO DISTANCE LEARNING

• In March 2020, schools officially closed their doors and referred to

e-learning options where children completed their classes through

Zoom, Microsoft 365, Seesaw and Cisco Webex calls

• Some schools were running classes as any regular school day

would, except it is online

• Educational institutions were imposing measures due to the

situation, hence there was an element of trial and error

• School groups, such as GEMS, have provided laptops for students

who did not already have one at home

• Homework, classwork and tests/exams were also done in virtual

exercise books for teachers to check students’ progress

• To accommodate students who may have bad internet connections,

schools have worked on recording and sharing classes so students

can follow up on those they might have missed

COVID-19 IMPACT ON EDUCATION IN UAE AS IT FIRST STARTED

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7000

8000

9000

10000

Total Mentions on Social Media

TOTAL NUMBER OF MENTIONS: 107,671

SENSE OF IN THIS TOGETHER REFLECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

10

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

#Inthistogether Erupted in April


© Ipsos

As kids stay home, parents are now

obliged to ensure that they can work

remotely to support their children,

especially young ones

Frustration and distress due to pressure

from balancing work and family

obligations

PARENTS FRUSTRATED AS THEY

BALANCE THEIR WORK AND CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

Since interaction is limited, teachers are

finding it difficult to keep their students

engaged and attentive during online

classes

Worry and burnout as students may

begin to fall behind, and number of

cases in the country remain high

showing no end to virtual learning

TEACHERS FIND IT DIFFICULT TO

TEACH EFFECITVELY VIRTUALLY

It is found difficult for students to remain

focused with many distractors at home

(i.e. video games, TV, etc.). Students have

missed being in class with their peers and

teachers.

Lower motivation to study, and complete

schoolwork.

STUDENTS ARE NOT FOCUSED

NOR MOTIVATED

TRENDS FOUND DURING EARLY STAGES OF COVID-19

1 2 3

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PARENTS NEED SUPPORT

• Some schools resisted offering tuition fee cuts, families felt let down

by them, leading some of them to turn to different institutions

• Parents whose children are enrolled in GEMS schools have created a

hashtag #HelpGEMSParents on social media platforms, demanding

compensation for tuition

• Some schools removed children from registration in term 3,

disrupting students’ educational learning, which further frustrated

parents

• As part of the Ministry of Education’s support towards schools, they

have shed a light on the importance of paying fees, and failure to

do so may result in disruption of move students to further grades if

tuition fees are not paid – which stirred a lot of discussion on social

media

• Parents compared and contrasted options from various educational

establishment during this period

#HelpGemsParents Gems education in UAE should reduce the fees

across all academic years, the parents are doing more than 50% of

the job teaching the students which is also a challenge for working

parents from home. The service used to be provided is not the same

like before

Remote learning is not same as class room teaching. Also we as

parents have to spend our time and energy to help kids do their

work. Under such circumstances schools should consider blanket fee

reduction for 3rd term. #HelpGemsParents #GEMSEducation

#COVID19

After the government has closed the schools due to the COVID-19

pandemic, schools are asking for a fee from the children…

We are ready to pay school fee .Did we fuss all these years for the

reduction of the fee. we are here for justice. Every year gems started

to increase the school fee did we cry. we thought gems is with us sad

now we parents are left alone

COVID-19 IMPACT ON STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS

https://twitter.com/hashtag/HelpGemsParents?src=hashtag_click

https://twitter.com/hashtag/HelpGemsParents?src=hashtag_click

https://twitter.com/hashtag/GEMSEducation?src=hashtag_click

https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hashtag_click

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PUBLIC SCHOOLS - GRADING SYSTEM UNFAIR

• Issues arose around exam grading relating to perceived lack of

clarity and advanced notice on the grading rubric that was

being used. Creating a lot of backlash and upset students

• Graduating students were disappointed due to their third term

grades. They found it difficult to cope with virtual learning,

which they think is the reason behind their low grades.

• This was especially difficult for students as they required

certain grades to enter their course and/or university of choice.

• The hashtag #الامارات_2020خريجين_ظلم became a prominent

hashtag used on Twitter, translating to

#UAE_2020_graduates_injustce

لماذا لم يتم الاعلان من بداية السنة عن طريقة إحتساب المواد ؟ للأسف أصبح التخبط سمة من

!! سمات القرارات الصادرة وكأن الدوله تخلو من أصحاب النظره المستقبلية

Why was the method of calculating marks not announced in the

beginning of the school year? Unfortunately, confusion has become

normal when decisions are issued

الله يعطيكم الف عافية نعرف ضغط عليكم ، لكن في شي غلط و ظلم مستحيل الدرجات

الثالث بهالشكل انا بتكلم عن نفسي ناقصه بشكل كبير بموادي مو معقوله حسبتوها بكل فصول

مو معقوله اجيب ! درجات ١٠لو فعلاً حسبتوها صح انا جايبه مفروض فوق علاماتي ب

!!! بالترم الاول و الثاني و الثالت لا

God bless you for your efforts, but there is something incorrect

and injustice with the grades. I am speaking for myself at least.

There are points missing, if you had calculated it right I would be

at least 10 marks higher! There is no way in the first and second

term I receive an A and the third!!!

A

اول مره اشوف قرارات تتخذن يوم تخلص السنه الدراسيه

First time I ever see decisions being made after the school year

ends

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PARENTS STUDENTSTEACHERS

• WORK/LIFE BALANCE- Some parents found it

difficult to support their children’s home learning and work at the same time as their

jobs are still demanding regular working hours

• FINANCIAL BURDEN- As people began to lose their jobs and receive salary cuts, parents

asked for tuition fees to be decreased since children are remaining at home

• EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT- Tutoring children at home with their academic related work

seemed to be a struggle to parents, adding more stress on them

Struggling to adapt to the situation of working at home

and supporting their children’s educational needs

• LONGING FOR SCHOOL DAYS - Children

were excited to be at home at first, but then begin to miss their friends and teachers .

• HIGHLY DISTRACTED- Being at home has resulted in kids having unlimited access to TV

and video games, making it very difficult for teachers and parents to maintain their

attention

• DIFFICULTY USING TECHNOLOGY- Some

students are too young to understand how to use some platforms, needing assistance from

their parent(s)

Students prefer being in school with their peers and

teachers, making it easier to maintain performance

• LONG WORK HOURS- Teachers are working

longer hours to ensure that educational plans for both in-school and virtual learning are

complete

• SALARY CUTS– As schools reduce tuition fees

for parents, teachers are receiving salary cuts making work hours and salary inequivalent

and resulting in burnout.

• NEW TEACHING METHODS– Struggle to find

strategies to keep children engaged virtually

• HEALTH CONCERNS– Worried about their

health as well as students’ (i.e. to avoid catching or passing around the virus)

Facing salary cuts, increased work hours and struggling

to maintain students‘’ attention


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CHAPTER 2

EXPECTATIONS &

CONCERNS FOR

THE ACADEMIC

YEAR 2020-2021


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PARENTS KEEP VOICING THEIR WORRIES ABOUT SENDING THEIR

CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL

• Although numbers were slowly decreasing at the start of school, parents

were unable to understand the reason for their children to return to school

• Social media platforms were filled with comments from frustrated parents

SOLUTIONS COMMUNICATED BY SCHOOLS

• As a solution, some schools were able to accommodate parents’ needs

depending on their situation (i.e. full time at school, hybrid, or only virtual

learning)

• Tuition fees were reduced to further support parents

WITH GREAT CAUTION, PARENTS BEGIN TO SLOWLY ADAPT

• As schools begin, parents were able to see measures being taken and

increase their trust in schools and teachers to keep their children safe

• Understanding this is the new normal, parents are adapting to the situation

without jeopardizing their children’s education

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DISCOMFORT REMAINS WITH BACK TO SCHOOL

Sources: Ipsos COVID19 Impact Series Survey Results July 2020

75% UAE citizens are uncomfortable allowing children to

go to school

COVID-19 IMPACT ON EDUCATION POST LOCKDOWN IN UAE

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0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

2020-07-27 2020-08-03 2020-08-10 2020-08-17 2020-08-24 2020-08-31 2020-09-07 2020-09-14 2020-09-21 2020-09-28 2020-10-05 2020-10-12

Total Mentions on Social Media


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PREPARING GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

“In this pandemic situation, e-learning is better until a vaccine is out. Children will not know how to maintain social distance and keep their masks or gloveson from morning to afternoon”

“My son had five viral infections in the first two terms of school last year, but not even one since distance learning began. He is very prone to contracting infections and with COVID-19 I am not comfortable at all to send him back to school”

“Kids miss their friends! Small children won’t be able to sustain this hygiene and social distancing. You can’t expect them to go to school and not interact and play with their friends during break. No way once they go to school, they are not robots to sit in one place all day!”

• Parents worry about their children’s health, especially that

September is “flu season” – the virus can be mistaken as a flu

• Parents feel it is more sensible to maintain distance learning for

students younger than 12-years-old

• Wearing masks for a full school day is challenging, especially for the

younger students who may have difficulty breathing with it

• Parents believe it will be difficult to enforce social distancing during

the school day (this includes small breaks, lunch time and private

social interactions)

PARENTS RAISE PRACTICAL CONCERNS

“I am not comfortable sending the kids to school yet. It is not safe. Children should study from home at least another term, and then when the situation is reassessed because of development of a cure, sure. Schools have adapted well to home teaching and studies have not been affected”

Parents have raised their perceptions, and the KHDA and

ADEK conducted parent surveys to offer the safest, and best

options for schools to re-open.

“I am a bit scared, how will small children remember to wash their hands frequently and follow hygiene rules?

As much as these kids are excited about going back - the parents are going through a hard time to analyze what is the best decision for their child. Should we home school? Should we send them to school? Mental health Vs Social Health ?

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PARENTS REMAIN ANXIOUS

PARENTS TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO VOICE CONCERNS

• Number of positive cases in the UAE is remains high and

parents are still concerned sending their children to school

• Many parents would prefer that schools take more time to

prepare for schools to re-open and operate regularly, even if it

is during the second quarter

• Parents are communicating their feelings and opinions on

social media platforms such as Twitter

• Parents are referring to updated research articles that confirm

that kids do indeed transmit COVID-19, which frustrates them

when schools say otherwise How can you expect small children to maintain the distance and hygiene where adults

are not following the rules. Please rethink over it and change the opening date till 0 cases and cure. As a parent, I can not send my children to schools this early.

Kindly care to explain what's the pressing need... especially for children under 10. Why

another term of e learning will be earth shattering?

When the decision whether to open the schools is still being done through virtual

meetings it’s evident that it’s not yet safe .Then why are we talking about reopening schools in sept .Distance learning has been executed very well and is the safest option

till the vaccine comes

How can we expect children to breathe through a mask for more than 8 hours,

maintain social distancing from friends they meet after months and also remove mask and have their tiffin and put it back on! Why are we hazarding little kids?

Masks Vs Kids . I have already whispered in my head 1000 times, masks and sanitizers

are part of our current routine. Even children are greatly doing their part. Having said that, do you think getting kids to wear masks all day at school is practically possible??;

mainly for the little ones🏃‍♂️. I'm skeptical about that!!

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BUT, SOME PARENTS THINK KIDS SHOULD GO BACK TO SCHOOL

• Although all parents are worried about their children’s health, there

are a few who raise some concerns about distance learning

• It was noticed that distance learning has affected their children’s

well-being, as it is more stressful for them to figure out how to use

the e-learning programs and keep up with their academic work

• Some parents think that remote learning as a temporary solution is

fine, but in the long run it is not as effective as being in a classroom

face-to-face with the teacher

• Parents with full-time jobs and have demanding careers, struggle

to find helpers who can help look after their children or help with

their online learning

• It is believed by some parents that their children are missing out on

valuable education, and social and interpersonal skills that are only

built appropriately at school

THE BENEFITS OF SCHOOLS RE-OPENING

Several parents can’t do e-learning with their as we are full-time workers and primary

kids can’t do their homework on a computer alone.. It is a complicated decision!

Fantastic news! Children’s mental health is important too and going back to school

gives them the normalcy and schedule they crave. I can’t wait. I for one don’t want to see my young children kept apart and isolated from friends or teachers. It would cause

more harm than good!

Great news! Please open school as children need to go back to school. Those parents

worry about their kids can always opt for homeschooling. I want my kid back in school full-time. Online learning is too stressful and not effective at all for the money we paid.

Whoever wants distance learning keep doing it… I want proper schooling for my kids!

We have to consider social and interpersonal skill development!

My husband and I tried to support our children with distance learning, but that isn’t

sustainable in the long term. Both of us work full-time and have demanding careers, so we feel that our children will miss out on valuable education and personal development

if they spend another school year at home.

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• There are many parents that remain worried and refuse to send their

kids to school, and many others who are willing to take a risk for a

better education for their kids

• The “new normal” of being extra cautious is something that parents

are now adapting to not just at school, but in all living aspects

• Parents are trusting that teachers are taking the necessary

precautions to keep kids safe,

• Less mentions on social media are targeted towards KHDA and

Ministry of Education, but more discussions between parents and

teachers are taking place about what measures they are taking

• Students also take role in discussions on social media platforms

stating that they have a need to return to their classrooms

SCHOOLS RE-OPEN, WITH HYBRID ATTENDANCE

ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL

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I have RRMS and I teach. I assumed a certain amount of risk working in this

field, but now parents would send their sick kids to school. For years I have

worn masks during flu season. But now they are sending them sick during a

pandemic. that wasn't in the fine print.

I must say I’m very impressed by the procedures and pre cautions taken by

schools and authorities. Nilia has to wear a mask which I know is difficult but to be honest it’s for her own safety and I truly appreciate living in a country

where pre cautions are so strict because at the end of the day we are in the

middle of a worldwide pandemic whether we want to admit it or not

I don't think anyone can confidently say children under 10 are risk free. Better

safe than sorry! Our school opened and within three days there is a teacher affected with Covid. NOT WORTH THE RISK

BACK TO SCHOOL: WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?

We teachers care about your kids as much as you do. We have spent weeks

preparing for their arrival. We have had endless meetings, learnt new procedures and mastered the modern arts of mask wearing & surface sanitizing

😷 I promise you that, largely, as a profession we have worked tirelessly to

ensure that we can do the best we possibly can for your children in these

uncertain times.

As a high school student myself, I think I’m better off online, but mentally this

whole lockdown situation really messed me up, and I can’t be bothered to sit at

home any longer so I hope I’d get the choice to either go to school or be at

home

although I’m so excited (and the kids are too) I’m also worried. What will the

new regulations look like in practice - will the kids feel disconnected and separated from their friends? Will they still get to act like kids? I’m just having

a hard time picturing it all and although we’ve received confirmation that we

are going back to school 🥳 I still don’t know the finer details

As educators we are good at adapting but I feel the current situation is

unsustainable. Many teachers across a range of settings in the UAE are close to burnout already. The heart of teaching has been taken out with the measures

introduced. I miss using drama and other collaborative techniques, and just

allowing the kids to be kids. It’s hard to produce a solution but I fear many

teachers will leave the profession if it continues

Our countdown for back to school is on 💕we cannot wait until we are back in

school

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BRANDS HELP?

HOW CAN

ENTITIES MENTIONED IN THE CONTEXT OF EDUCATION

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Government Bodies, GEMS Education and Media & Tech brands received the highest number of mentions

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BOOSTING

IMMUNE

SYSTEM

MAJOR FINANCIAL

MODIFICATIONS

FOR SOME

FAMILIES

EMOTIONAL

SUPPORT

NEEDED FOR

PARENTS AND

STUDENTS

DISTANCE

LEARNING IS

STRESSFUL FOR

STUDENTS

➢ Financial support that helps families cope

better and save money is needed since

some are suffering from job losses or salary

cuts

➢ Some parents are struggling to provide the

appropriate equipment, or devices to

support their children’s e-learning

➢ Parents want to provide healthy nutritious

food for their family, especially meals that

boost their immunity

➢ Recipes, prepared food and deliveries can be

convenient to help remove pressure off

parents by giving them easy ways out

➢ COVID-19 cases are still on the rise, so

parents remain worried to take their kids

out in public since they may not understand

how to maintain social distancing and

sanitizing protocols

➢ Children are overwhelmed and scared, but

are bored and fed up of staying home

➢ Many students from the class of 2020 feel

their grades may have somehow been

impeded, the class of 2021 share some of

these anxieties with uncertainty remaining

➢ Distance learning has become a major stress

driver for students – they are finding it

difficult to remain attentive through online

platforms, and miss interacting with their

classmates and teachers

Disclaimer: Note recommendations are based on market research findings and not validated by relevant authorities with respect to implementation

EVALUATING THE TENSIONS

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THE RESULTING BEHAVIOURS

Multiple ways to help parents prepare their kids integrate back to school during September – regardless of their preferred way

of e-learning or back to campus

SPEND THRIFT CULTURELeaning towards affordability to

avoid brand downgrading

• Partnerships with financial institutions

• Offer interest free loans for schools fees

SAFETY FIRSTConsumers always want to feel

safe

• Installment of sanitization stations

HEALTHY HABITS

Shift towards habits encouraging

school meals with immunity based food

EMOTIONAL SUPPORTProviding parents peace of mind

about choices for their family

LOOKING FOR HELPLend a helping hand, show that

you are an inspiring caring, and reliable brand

Consider internships for the class

of 2020


SOME POTENTIAL ACTIONS

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✓ Affordability

Free access to

platforms such as Skype, Zoom, etc.

to save parents from spending

extra money on e-learning

✓ Connectivity

✓ Reliability

Affordable and

reliable Wi-Fi “back to school” bundles

to avoid bad connectivity during

school days. This ensures students’

proper attendance

✓ Safety

Sanitization kits for

students to take to school. Ready kits

where mothers don’t need to worry about

purchasing various sanitization

equipment

✓ Healthy

Balance health and

welfare. Balanced products, less

processed with fresh and natural

ingredients. Foods to boost student’s

immune system

✓ Safety

✓ Protection

Practical and

comfortable masks to motivate

younger students to keep them on.

Different patterns and colors, with

proper air filters

IMP

AC

T

✓ Safety

✓ Protection

✓ Fun

Turning

precautionary measures to a fun

“activity” rather than punishment by

launching a “Do It Yourself” Distancing

hats and garment


FOCUS ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE

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TENSIONS BEHAVIOURS ACTIONS

• Vulnerability to contracting Covid-19

• Confused and bewildered, what will work and not work

• Feeling hemmed in due to strict rules and vigilance with social distancing measures

• Financial burden due to salary cuts

• Resonance with immunity boosting themes

• Looking for trusted brands and experts to advise

• Resonance with options that lighten the emotional load

• Looking for value for money and cost-effective options

• Prepackaged, sanitized and sealed meals that parents and students can choose from

• Reduce plastic and providing students with personalized utensils that they can sanitize in the future

• Add games to food packs

• Value options – 2 for 1, price discounts, promotions, coupons


FOCUS ON PERSONAL CARE

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TENSIONS BEHAVIOURS



• Feeling hemmed in due to strict rules and vigilance due to social distancing measures


• Resonance with immunity benefits of food over calorie counting


• Resonance with options that light the emotional load


• Stress immunity benefits of personal care products

• School branded hand gel holders to attach to desk, bags etc

• Promote products with positive emotional connotation

• Creating school branded or fun branded masks and mask ties (to help keep the mask on)

ACTIONS


FOCUS ON EDUCATION SECTOR

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TENSIONS BEHAVIOURS



• Feeling hemmed due to strict rules and vigilance due to social distancing measures




• Resonance with options that light the emotional load


• Providing educational classes dedicated for

hygiene practices and reminders

• Mindfulness classes and simple or fun ways for

kids to learn how to cope with the stressful

changes

• Frequent reminders through public

announcement system to sanitize and keeping

safe distances

• Add fun/competitive aspects to social distancing

measures

• Communicate fair value of schooling options,

consider brand partnerships to add value

ACTIONS


FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY BRANDS

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TENSIONS BEHAVIOURS



• Feeling hemmed due to strict rules and vigilance due to social distancing measures




• Resonance with options that lighten the emotional load


• Provide previously recycled computers/laptops for students

• Creating Wi-Fi bundles under the name of schools for better internet connections at home

• Free or discounted access to e-learning platforms and tutoring

• Promote educational content

• Share best practice on home learning

ACTIONS


HOW CAN IPSOS HELP?

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• Via Ipsos’ social intelligence technology platform

Synthesio, we monitor parents’, students’ and

teachers’ feedback through social media

platforms such as twitter, Instagram, Facebook,

etc. real time 24/7

• Our technology platform allows us to provide

insights which are available at the touch of a

button to enable fast decision making

• Working with the data corpus and synthesized

insights, Ipsos analysts provide concise and

action oriented reporting for your business

• The delivery of insights is flexible in terms of

frequency, depth of content, and duration,

depending on your business requirements

• Ipsos analysts provide deeper analysis of the

data to synthesise the tensions, behaviours and

identify trends

• With established analytical frameworks

customized for your needs, you can be alerted in

real time to insights that matter

SUMMARISE ACTIONS CUSTOMIZED FOR YOUR

BRAND AND BUSINESS

MONITORING PARENTS’, STUDENTS AND

TEACHERS FEEDBACK IN REAL TIME 24/7SYNTHESISING TENSIONS, BEHAVIOURS AND

TRENDS

For further information contact [email protected](+9715601301248) or [email protected] (+971528866820)

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

BACK TO SCHOOL - ipsos.com · Creating a lot of backlash and upset students • Graduating students...

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