[ad_1]
“There were more journalists than students,” was the obligatory comment. Only 20 students from five schools –and zero attendance in one of the establishments, the Liceo El Llano– was the balance of the first day of return to classes in the Pirque commune, as part of the Step by Step implemented by the Ministry of Education.
The experience was harshly criticized by the College of Professors and opposition parliamentarians. According to what was detailed by the authorities, 11 minors attended the Main School, four children attended the Santos Rubio School and five students attended the Lo Arcaya School during this day. Even the Liceo El Llano also came leaders of the Magisterium and attorneys to claim for the return
Despite the numbers, Minister of Education, Raúl Figueroa, He is not discouraged and defended the measure in the face of harsh criticism from the president of the College of Teachers, Mario Aguilar, who spoke of a “bully.”
“The paper of the” return to classes “in Pirque shows that it is not an adequate policy to force people. Chile has changed, people no longer accept arbitrary or unreasonable measures just because the powerful decide to do so, ”the president of the magisterium wrote on Twitter.
Figueroa’s response was that “the truth, Mr. Aguilar, is that students came completely voluntarily to face-to-face classes in the Pirque commune. And even if only one had arrived, as @Mineduc it is our duty to ensure the continuity of their learning ”.
On the ground, the Secretary of State remarked that “about 20 students were able to meet again and gradually recover the school experience.” In addition, he expressed that “we value the commitment of education assistants, teachers and directors of the educational community of Pirque, who decided to be available to their families and reopen their schools.”
The minister’s statement was supported by the Mayor of Pirque, Cristián Balmaceda, who denied that it was a failed return. “Resounding failure? As supporters, if 3 students want to go back to class, we must be there for them. Enough of backgammon, political bias and some media show. Those who do not want to send their children to classes are fully entitled, this is VOLUNTEER, “she wrote on the social network.
What happened in Pirque was also a topic during the Minsal’s COVID-19 balance sheet. Consulted in this regard, the Undersecretary of Public Health, Paula Dazapointed out that “regarding the health protocols that schools must have in order to open their classrooms, the first thing is that the commune has to be in stage 3 or stage 4, that is, the epidemiological indicators must be low enough to give the children the opportunity to return to class ”.
In addition, he stressed that schools must be subject to an inspection by the health authority to ensure compliance with health protocols, such as adequate distance between desks, and the implementation of safeguards for teachers and students.
Call for attention from the opposition
The government’s decision has been harshly criticized by the opposition. The radical deputy Marcela Hernando He was ironic about the situation, noting that “I would bet that @raulfiguersa is not sending his children to classes, but he insists that the rest of the Chilean children return to the classroom. Double standard brought to the degree of a monument ”.
For his part, deputy DC Mario Venegas He said that “what happened today is a clear reflection of the legitimate and justified fear of the families” and reiterated the call to the Government “not to insist on pressing for early returns to classes.”
Venegas recalled that the Chamber is processing a project that establishes rules for the safe return of students and was in favor of the return to take place next year, as long as there are safe sanitary conditions to protect students and the population.
“We all know that the pandemic is not under control. Insisting on pushing for an early return is something that goes against the majority opinion of parents and guardians. And, naturally, when the authority raises an instruction that in the opinion of the people is foolish, improper and inadequate, it is exposed to this, to massive civil disobedience ”, he added.
In this debate also entered the Defender of Children, Patricia Muñoz, who stated that “here the central thing is the rights of the children and the conditions they are facing”, because “no matter how much the authority says that the school is opening, if people do not feel that they have confidence in security, they will not go ”, as happened in Pirque.
Interviewed in Cooperative radio, Muñoz pointed to the need for the authorities to create a participation table that includes children, adolescents and family members to evaluate the eventual return to face-to-face classes. “We regret that, at the time, the request that I made to the COVID Social Table in April of this year, that a specific table be created to address with planning and participation of children and adolescents and their families (was not worked ) “, he said.
[ad_2]
