After a year of being locked away from schools and attending online lessons, students across the gulf will be heading back to classrooms for the coming year. But things won't be the same as institutions are being equipped with high-tech solutions for social distancing, and to create a hybrid ecosystem for futuristic learning.

Among other initiatives, smart systems being installed in the UAE's public schools to enhance security of students, will also display capabilities to detect bullying among children. In a similar move, Qatar has decided to make the daily commute to schools safer and more convenient for kids as well as parents, by bringing in smart buses.

The tech-savvy vehicles set to hit the roads in the coming school year, will have tracking devices, to let parents monitor the movement of a school bus through their smartphone. The app can also be used to keep an eye on the routes taken by the drivers, so that users can be reassured about their child's safety.

Connected to the smart wagon at all times, the platform also notifies the parents when their kid reaches schools, and also sends an alert when the child is back home. In addition to the motion tracking mechanism, security will be further beefed up by deploying devices like side sensors as well as cameras on the bus.

The country's transport authority is planning on introducing the measure across the nation by next year.

This technology is similar to the one introduced in Oman by eMushrif, which integrated GPS systems and motion sensors into school buses, along with a solution to notify parents. It has also extended its services to Egypt, where universities can now track their fleets using a smartphone app.

Smart cameras have previously been used for enhancing safety and monitoring conduct of drivers on public transport in the UAE. The country had attracted attention last year by using facial recognition for security on the metro rail network.