The closer the Day of Knowledge, the more questions the students and their parents have. The coronavirus has changed the usual ideas about school and about studying, depriving boys and girls of their prom. Will he take away from children and September 1? At a briefing held on August 6, the heads of the regional Ministry of Education and the Department of Rospotrebnadzor openly stated that they did not know the answer to this question. Everything will depend only on the epidemiological situation.
Forecasts and questions
For the first time in the history of Saratov schools, different learning scenarios are considered – full-time, part-time, and finally, part-time. Whether children will go to school or will comprehend the wisdom of school subjects without leaving home – now no one knows. The question remains open. The answer to it will be given by the operational headquarters for coronavirus, based on the specific situation. And it will happen closer to September 1. So said at a briefing on August 6, the chairman of the committee for state control and supervision in the field of education of the Ministry of Education of the region, Alexei Fedorov.
At the same time, the official added that “forecasts are made for full-time education.” By August 20, all educational institutions, and schools among them, must be ready to accept students. And there it will be like a coronavirus card.
The only thing that can be stated categorically is that studies will begin on September 1. But no one now understands exactly how. We must hope for the best.
Taking the floor after him, Nadezhda Matveeva, Deputy Head of the Rospotrebnadzor Office for the Saratov Region, noted that the phased lifting of restrictions could entail the same phased opening of educational institutions.
– At the third stage, all educational institutions will be opened, at the second – only individual ones. Those in which the risks are minimized, – explained Matveeva. True, it is not entirely clear whether there will be differentiation between schools by the degree of risk? Or will different types of educational institutions be opened in stages: schools, universities, kindergartens, centers of additional education? Apparently, these issues are still under discussion.
Coronavirus amendments
From the words of the representative of the supervisory authority, it became clear that if everything will be the same as before, then it will be different. The ceremonial lineup on the Day of Knowledge can be held in the usual, but “narrowed” format. That is, with a limited number of attendees, with restrictions on time and place. In any case, the school will open its doors (if it does) with caution.
One of the conditions for the start of the school year in a regular, full-time mode may be the mandatory vaccination of teachers. They will be vaccinated against coronavirus, since education workers are at risk of constant contact with many people, primarily children. However, this is not such a big surprise – teachers are vaccinated against the flu every year. In addition, the coronavirus vaccine still has to be talked about in the future.
– Bringing any infectious disease into school is possible. The countermeasure algorithm has long been known. All schools must provide entrance control, thermometry. A sick child is immediately isolated, an ambulance is called. All anti-epidemiological measures will be taken in schools.
As for the mask mode, according to Matveyeva, “he is with us for a long time.” Until the end of the year at least.
The conversation went beyond the bounds of purely school problems and moved on to general child problems. Matveeva and Fedorov said that the opening of sports clubs, as well as other clubs and studios, is not yet planned, since the situation with the spread of the infection has not dramatically improved. Fedorov, by the way, sounded interesting data on kindergartens. 558 duty groups are working in them now. More than 15 thousand children go there, including those who need to go to first grade on September 1.
Meanwhile, the “pre-September” situation in the region is felt, as in previous years, when we did not hear anything about the coronavirus and the restrictions associated with it. The children’s ombudsman of the region, Tatyana Zagorodnyaya, as always, reminded the parents of schoolchildren that they should not pay for textbooks, notebooks, or teaching aids, and urged them to report attempts to extortion by calling their hotline.