It's back to school joy for kids in Bahrain!

But while the reopening of doors in government schools to receive thousands of young students who chose face-to-face classes is a long-awaited sigh of relief for many, it’s important to note that things won’t go “back to normal” – at least for now.

Yes, it’s back to school, but not back to normal, because there are still concerns about keeping kids safe from existing COVID-19 variants. Kids themselves are aware that they will still have to adjust to learning with COVID-19 protocols in place.

They, however, returned to the classroom after 18 months of pandemic disruption obviously feeling happy, excited and upbeat. Yesterday morning, the Kingdom’s public schools received 79,000 students for in-person learning.

The rest of 146,000 total student population, have opted for virtual learning. Indeed, going back to school during this time of pandemic uncertainty is truly a big challenge not only for parents and teachers, but also for kids.

In fact, children are facing unusual challenges, and one of them is anxiety about being separated from their families after months of togetherness. For some of them, it will trigger separation anxiety, in addition to the anxiety they may feel about leaving their safe harbour from the pandemic.

Kids are often reminded not to get too close to other people, to keep their masks on, to use sanitiser, and to wash their hands, among other health safety measures.

There’s just anxiety in the air, and kids feel that, too. They may be wondering: Are we sure it’s safe to go back to school? These are, of course, realistic fears that many adults share.

And parents also know that there’s a real risk that in-person schooling may bring. They have long wanted to see their kids back in school buildings but also have feared the risk of contracting COVID-19. But for some kids, the excitement of going back to school after so many months stuck at home outweighs potential anxiety.

No one could have been happier than these kids when they finally returned to school after a long while. Kids were also obliged to wear face masks to protect themselves and everyone around them from the potential spread of the deadly virus.

The only disadvantage was the unbearable summer heat, which was only worsened by masks. However, the kids endured that as well, having in mind that health and education should always stay a priority, no matter what.