A campaign titled "Towards a Safe Return to Our Schools” calling for the immediate reopening of kindergartens and schools in the Kingdom has gone viral on social media, drawing mixed reactions from parents.

In a statement issued this week, the organisers called for reopening of schools and kindergartens, while adopting the necessary procedures to ensure physical distancing and public safety, giving parents the choice whether to send their children to kindergartens and schools.

The campaign’s organisers said students in the early grades need an interactive classroom-learning experience. 

Some parents have voiced discontent with what they say is the remote learning system’s failure to instill basic skills in students, such as holding a pencil and engaging in classroom activities, according to the organisers.

In addition, children with special needs have to be taught in an inclusive and interactive environment within the classroom, according to the statement from the organisers.

"The closures have caused so much financial damage to approximately 1,990 kindergartens. It has also worsened the situation of many parents and workers in this sector,” read the statement.

Many working mothers were forced to quit their jobs to homeschool their children, the statement said.

In addition, many women working in the education field have school-age children, according to the statement. Many of them are now unemployed, and the majority of workers in the sector are women heads of households, according to the statement circulated on social media

"As a working mother I am with this campaign, since it was very difficult for me to take care of the children and help them with their studies while keeping up with my work and career,” Sama, a mother of two, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

However, some parents were against an immediate reopening of schools and kindergartens.

"I am against my children going back to school because this will be at the expense of their health, due to the health situation we are living,” Rana, a mother of four, told The Jordan Times Tuesday.