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An important preliminary decision could already be made this afternoon about whether compulsory school students will have to stay home again after finishing high school. In the evening, the Crown Commission meets and discusses how to proceed. Co-chair Clemens Martin Auer got people to sit up and take notice yesterday by declaring that closing kindergartens and schools could only be a “last resort.” Face-to-face teaching in compulsory school should be maintained “as long as possible”.
Education Minister Heinz Faßmann (VP) also spoke of the fact that closing schools should be the last option. The OÖN provides an overview of what speaks for and against further school closure.
- What does it depend on if schools also close? A decisive factor is the development of the number of infections and the utilization of hospitals. Yesterday, a total of 7514 new corona infections and 65 deaths were recorded in Austria in 24 hours, a very high level. The lock light is showing its first effects. Complexity researcher Peter Klimek of the Science Hub has calculated the progress: “The rise in infections has weakened. But the question is whether that is enough to get out of the critical area.” One problem is that cases are no longer reported on time due to mass.
- What are the political plans? Faßmann prefers face-to-face teaching, if necessary, in a restricted way, with smaller classes and more protection for the mouth and nose. He would also like high school students to have a combination of face-to-face and distance learning. The minister noted that the virus would last longer and that he wanted to keep it under control with faster tests in schools. Faßmann could not guarantee yesterday that the schools will remain open. Nor was he carried away by saying whether a shutdown would take two weeks or months. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (VP) and Health Minister Rudi Anschober (Greens) want to comment at the end of the week.
- How do the teachers evaluate the situation? Compulsory school teachers unionist Paul Kimberger reports that there are still schools without a single case, while the contagion is greatest in metropolitan areas. “There is a basic consensus among teachers that they want to teach, and as normally as possible,” says Kimberger. In his opinion, the return to shift work in class would be “a suitable model to find the balance between safety and pedagogy”. Kimberger emphasizes that schools never closed and care was possible.
- Who else is in favor of open schools? The alliance of those who want to keep schools open grows day by day. In addition to the education officials of the federal states, the SPÖ, Neos, the Chamber of Labor, the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Industries, the Medical Association, economic researchers and representatives of the parents have recently spoken and demanded that schools stay open.
- According to studies, the risk of infection is lower in children. Why should they stay home? According to the Society for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, children under the age of 14 are less likely to become infected, less likely to have symptoms, and to transmit the virus less frequently. Of course, there are skeptics who argue that children are screened less often. Since the closures also affect parents of children who require care, the incidence of infections would be reduced immediately.
- Did the first confinement affect the children? The Institute for Advanced Study warned this week that the shift to distance education would have “hugely negative effects on the acquisition of skills and knowledge,” especially among younger and disadvantaged students. According to teacher estimates, about twelve percent of students could not be reached through distance learning in the spring, compared with 37 percent among disadvantaged students. As a result, long-term consequences such as early dropouts from education and fewer career opportunities are to be expected.
Article of
Annette gantner
National Policy Editor
