RIYADH: Efforts to make use of distance learning to ensure education continues in Saudi Arabia during the coronavirus crisis have been successful, according to Saudi Education Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Asheikh. During an extraordinary meeting of the General Conference of Ministers of Education from member states of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, he said that the Kingdom, like many other nations, has been forced to shift its priorities and come up with new ways of working to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. In particular, he highlighted the Ministry of Education’s efforts to provide live educational broadcasts through iEN, the National Education Portal. In addition, YouTube channels, the Future Gate initiative, which aims to enhance education through the use of technology, and the Unified Education System have also been used to assist with distance learning, along with efforts by individual schools and universities to provide online classes. Al-Asheikh also highlighted the measures taken by authorities in the Kingdom in other fields to cope with the pandemic, including providing and preparing accommodation for quarantine and the isolation of infected patients, organizing healthcare volunteers, transporting citizens returning from abroad to quarantine facilities or hospital, spreading awareness of the pandemic and providing specialist training. The minister also welcomed the extraordinary meeting of education ministers as an important reminder of the importance of education as part of the efforts to sustain development and stability in GCC societies.