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The chancellor does not want to keep schools open
The Corona traffic light commission ruled Thursday night in favor of schools that are still open to those under 14. The decision was unanimous, only the Federal Chancellery abstained. In view of the high number of infections, all districts in Austria remain in the red, as in the previous week.
The recommendation to keep kindergartens, primary schools and secondary level 1 (10-14 years) open as long as possible, depending on the decision, because these care centers are not the drivers of the infection process.
However, the Ministry of Education is recommended to take more preventive measures to allow the operation of the school for children aged 10 to 14 (a group with a higher infection rate than those under 10 years). Rapid antigen tests will be used, the requirement of masks for students and teachers also in class, an astonishing opening hours of schools, the use of larger rooms and sports only outdoors.
Low risk of infection
Meanwhile, before a decision is made, a fierce dispute has erupted over whether school closures are necessary. More recently, infections have been reported among schoolchildren, especially in the upper classes, who have had to stay home for a few weeks anyway. In elementary schools and lower grades, infections are low, but never zero.
The Education Ministry expects that, in the event of a closure, one in five children will be sent to school and childcare will be available, as in the spring. This is the result of a recent survey on behalf of the ministry. At the time, only about four percent of the students were in school to be supervised.
Now the idea of a “hybrid” school closure is also being implemented, in which only those children with whom this is relatively easy should stay home. In any case, teachers have more work to do.
More recently, education scientists, the Federation of Industrialists and also economic researchers have spoken out clearly against the closure of schools, especially because of the “serious economic and social consequences” that have now been demonstrated. Studies also show that a lockdown will in any case result in a net loss of education. This has been shown to especially affect children from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
SPÖ: Rendi-Wagner wants to keep schools open
On Thursday, the SPÖ resolutely affirmed its rejection of possible school closings in the wake of the tightening of the crown’s measures. That would be “a measure of little benefit and great harm,” party chairwoman Pamele Rendi-Wagner told a news conference. Education spokeswoman Sonja Hammerschmid called instead for extensive protective measures to keep schools open.
School closings would be the opposite of accuracy and effectiveness, because there is no database for them, Rendi-Wagner argued. Both AGES and international studies and experience would show that school-age children up to 14 years of age do not play an important role in the spread of the virus. The childhood infection rate has even decreased, Hammerschmid emphasized. However, the closure of schools would cause damage to the health, psychological and educational of children. The SPÖ president also pointed out that in addition to the upper school students, around 700,000 children and their parents would be affected by the care. Therefore, Rendi-Wagner called on the federal government to block the door to the virus with effective measures, but to keep the door to schools open for children.
As for security measures to keep schools open, Hammerschmid called for regular tests and exams for teachers, as well as for teachers to wear a mask. Additionally, gurgling tests should be extended, additional rooms rented, and rooms briefly ventilated every 20 minutes.
Rendi-Wagner would only agree to a full shutdown, including school closings, if the think tank it convened, which is to assess and evaluate the measures, proposes such a thing. The fact that the government is already talking about tightening, although the incubation period is 10 to 14 days and the current measures are only in effect from November 2, is “doubtful”. Hammerschmid was “stunned” by the declaration of the Minister of Education, Heinz Faßmann (ÖVP), that closing schools would not be his only decision.
In general, Rendi-Wagner accuses the federal government of “capitulating to the virus.” She justifies this with the fact that only 7.5 percent of cases can be tracked. Contact tracing, the most effective weapon against the pandemic, is clearly not working. The government did not use daylight saving time to expand contact tracing capabilities.
FPÖ: School closures don’t help
If the FPÖ has its way, school closures cannot be a means to combat the corona pandemic. “For us this is not an option, schools must remain open,” emphasized education spokesman Hermann Brückl at a press conference on Thursday. The upper classes, whose lessons have been switched to distance learning for almost two weeks, should also return to the classroom.
The FPÖ was the only parliamentary party that opposed the closure of schools from the beginning. They are a great burden for families and would suppose social isolation, loss of motivation and daily structure for students, even now more and more students suffer complaints such as insomnia and fear of the future. Also, schools are not drivers of the pandemic. “We are in the process of creating a lost generation,” he warned. And: “Parents are now more afraid of homeschooling than of Corona.” If Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) closed schools, then-Minister of Education Heinz Faßmann (ÖVP), who had always campaigned for open schools, would be ready to resign.
In order to keep schools open despite the pandemic, Brückl relies not only on compliance with hygiene measures and distance rules, but also on class division, a division into morning and afternoon classes. , flexible start and end times for lessons, use of Plexiglas panels and quick tests. He asked the government for a long-term strategy so that the virus does not disappear.
Health spokesman Gerhard Kaniak criticized the database to justify the lockdown: the data on new infections is incorrect, there are deviations from 30 to 100 percent. He also questioned the occupancy rates for hospital beds. In addition, the government was unable to quantify the expected effects of the measures it has taken, such as reducing the growth rates of new infections. The government missed the “health policy mobilization” for the second wave of the corona pandemic.
Neos: Meinl-Reisinger warns of school closure
Neos boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger demanded on Thursday that a decision on tightening the crown’s measures and possible additional school closings only be made after the weekend. The peak of infections from pre-lockdown is to be expected these days and there is now a “chaos of numbers” in the data for new infections. This lacks the basis for an evidence-based decision.
School closures should be “last way” if the health system threatens to collapse due to the number of corona infections. “The end of lessons at school for compulsory school children is not the beginning of lessons at home, it is the end of lessons and the end of the education and social contacts that are so important,” Meinl said. -Reisinger, referring to the negative effects of school closings on students from socially disadvantaged families, on the psyche of children, on employees and on jobs. “Homeschooling and the home office don’t go together. Period.” There is a risk of burning fathers, especially mothers, and factories that are still open could be in jeopardy due to employee care responsibilities. Parents may also have to rely on grandparents for the care of children and could potentially endanger their health.
As a more forgiving means in lieu of school closings, NEOS proposes, among other things, an expansion of the mask requirement for students to avoid further school closings. In addition, the intention is to switch to other classrooms for lessons, such as disused dance halls, and to avoid the backlog of students on the way to school at different start times, according to education spokesperson Martina Künsberg Sarre.
