In the UAE, education experts have studied the local impact in recent months. Dr Natasha Ridge, head of research at the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, found vulnerable, disadvantaged children and those who were already behind were affected most. "Without a doubt there is a risk of a learning gap developing," she said. "There will be an alienating gap emerging with issues around access to technology, hardware, laptops, and access to the internet, especially for families in lower socio-economic groups. "Pupils who are at the top-end are self-motivated would study and work hard even if there may be some disadvantages, but middle and low achievers would miss out on learning and jeopardise their chances of going to university."
