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The Bogota Ministry of Education gave new details of how the eventual reactivation of schools (public and private) and higher education institutions in the capital will be. The plan was called GPS: because this is a Gradual, Progressive and Safe (GPS) reopening.
The regulation process, pilots and adjustments will take place between September and December so that, in 2021, the return of face-to-face classes will begin in good shape and with all the adjustments.
The District made a lot of emphasis that the reactivation and its process will be done in a concerted and voluntary manner with the educational community. That is, concerns will be heard from managers, parents and teachers.
“Whether or not to use this epidemiological quota is voluntary,” Mayor Claudia López clarified and added, “in Bogotá there will be no alternation, what was agreed is that we allow them a few days a week, some rules, a public platform.”
In addition, this Friday Mayor Claudia López will meet with Fecode, the public school teachers union, to listen to their concerns.
We are not going to force children to school, but we must give families the possibility to decide
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“This work plan, which was carried out with the national and district guidelines on public health, It was accompanied by the Ministry of Health and technical support from the National University of Colombia; in charge of contributing to the strengthening of psychosocial pedagogical care and mental health, and with the analysis of the situation and interpretation of the epidemiological surveillance data around the circulation of Covid-19 in the school population, “the entity clarified.
The return is quite a challenge, considering that the educational system of Bogotá covers 2’300,000 people, including students, teachers, administrators, contractors and related personnel, distributed in gardens and official and private schools, institutions of Higher Education and Institutions of Education for Work and Human Development.
Timeline: the step-by-step of reactivation
This is the preliminary schedule for the reopening of institutions. Please note that there are differences between private and public schools and that, again, the entire process will be voluntary and concerted.
September:
– Beginning of the gradual, progressive and safe reopening of Kindergartens and Private Schools, IES – IETDH in a voluntary and concerted manner.
– Application of instruments and dialogue in official schools
October:
– Pilots for the gradual, staggered and safe reopening in Official Colleges: according to epidemiological conditions and the voluntary nature of the parties.
November:
– Evaluation: there will be an assessment of the gradual reopening and implementation of a daily, weekly and monthly monitoring system.
December:
– Definition of the 2021 action plan adjusted to the new reality.
Throughout the process, there will be variables to evaluate. These are:
– Number of qualified teachers.
– Approval or consent of the families.
– Adaptations and conditioning of infrastructure.
– Mobility.
As will be?Kindergartens and private schools
According to figures from the Ministry of Education, in Bogotá there are 1,782 private educational establishments and kindergartens, with 485,387 students and 29,489 teachers.
– The face-to-face classes will be: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday without time restrictions.
– The reopening must be agreed with the entire educational community: for this, the institution will be required to have the informed consent of the parents.
– The presence allowed will be only 35% of the students. “There is no restriction for teachers, administrative personnel, or service personnel,” explained the Secretary of Education, Edna Bonilla.
– Compliance with biosafety protocols and other requirements will be required.
The steps for registration are:
1. The kindergarten or private school registers its protocols on the page of the Secretary of Education of the SED District (Private gardens with code SIRSS will be sent to the page of the Secretary of Social Integration).
2. Once the registration is finished, you receive a number that confirms the process.
3. The protocols of the school or private garden are reviewed by the District Health Secretary (SDS).
4. The SDS issues an opinion on the feasibility of the reopening.
5. The kindergarten or private school is informed of the concept of SDS through an email sent by the Secretary of Education.
6. The school has everything it needs and begins its reopening process.
7. The authorities will advance random visits by localities to these educational institutions
8. Follow-up and monitoring and reporting processes will be carried out against possible outbreaks.
Public schools
There will be no immediate reactivation. With the public sector, a process of dialogue, consultation and participation will be carried out that will define how the progressive reactivation will be and if it will be done in 2020 or 2021
“In this process, the guidelines designed by the Secretary of Education based on national and district regulations will be reviewed and discussed. Dialogues will be held with school governments, the District Advisory Council, state boards and union organizations; families and young people, and teachers and teaching directors, “explained the Secretariat.
This participatory process will take place from September 7 to 30. It will include the following steps:
1. Dialogue with the educational community, reading the guidelines and contributions. The guidelines that will be put under discussion are:
– Guidelines for the enrollment, arrangement and organization of school spaces.
– Biosecurity guideline in the modality of school snacks.
– Biosecurity guideline in the Comprehensive School Breakfast and Lunch Service modality.
– Biosafety guideline for the operation of the “Ciempiés Caminos Seguros” and “Al Colegio En Bici” modalities.
– Guidelines for the school transport service.
– Guideline of attention to critical situations and pedagogical management.
– Guidelines for participation, communication and integration with families.
– Biosafety guideline for teachers, teaching directors and administrators.
2. A joint decision on reopening will be made within the school government.
3. The protocols will be adjusted to the institutional realities, either to return in 2020 or 2021.
The Plan includes thinking about the forms of mobility to and from schools.
“Each educational community is going to show us, it is going to give us their suggestions, so that the process is as consensual as possible,” said Bonilla.
Institutions of Higher Education IES – Institutions of Education for Work and Human Development IETDH
According to figures from the Ministry of Education, “in Bogotá there are 128 Institutions of Higher Education and 445 Institutions of Education for Work and Human Development, which have about 920,000 students and 65,000 teachers.”
– Face-to-face classes will be: Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday with time restrictions in two bands: from 10 am to 4 pm and from 7 pm to 10 pm
– A presence of 25% of the total number of students will be allowed.
The steps for registration are:
1. Institutions of Higher Education and Institutions of Education for Work and Human Development IETDH register their protocols on the page of the Secretary of Education of the SED District.
2. Review of information and database crossing by the District Education Secretary.
3. Review of the protocols by the District Secretary of Health, and subsequent communication to the institution that is authorized to initiate the reopening, by the SED. Otherwise, a report on the status of incomplete records is generated and the IES and IETDH are informed that it is not accepted and that it requires adjustments.
4. Random control and monitoring scheme by the competent entities to verify compliance with the implementation of the biosafety protocols within the IES and IETDH.
To keep in mind:
For all institutions, the Secretariat recommends:
– Guarantee the adequate verification of risk factors of the educational community (includes students, teachers and administrators and services) favoring work at home, in case of presenting a medical history of risk for COVID-19.
– Compliance with the biosafety protocols previously established in each educational institution. Everything must be supported by the PRASS strategy, which indicates that if any member of the educational community presents symptoms, they must be isolated.
– In the event of two or more cases of COVID-19 in the institution, the case will be taken as an outbreak and will require notification of the authorities. “Taking into account that they are our boys, girls and young people, that we must protect them, if a case arises, the Ministry of Health will visit the school and establish whether or not the school should be closed,” said the Secretary.
– The territorial context of where the institution is located must be taken into account.
– There must be a strong communication channel between directives, administrators, parents and teachers.
– Students who live with people with risk factors (elderly, comorbidities, etc.) are recommended to avoid presence.
“We have the responsibility of teachers and parents to instruct students in all protocols, especially in the use of masks,” alerted the Secretary of Health, Alejandro Gómez, who accompanied the announcement.
What if you have to close again?
The Ministry of Education does not rule out that a future epidemiological crisis forces the closure and interruption of face-to-face classes. But for that there will be a preparation.
In case of starting to register contagion, the epidemiological fence will be in charge of the Ministry of Health.
“It is not possible to look for those who are guilty of contagion. But we do have to be responsible for adopting and complying with the protocols. We cannot help pandemic by responding to absurd legal problems due to a pandemic that is global,” responded López when asked who would be the responsible in case of contagion.
And the school routes?
They will be enabled, but also with low capacity. If schools have a capacity limit of 35%, this should be reflected in school transport.
In the case of ‘Al Colegio en Bici’ the strategy of transferring children by bicycle, with the accompaniment of professionals, the District indicated that it will be gradually resumed.
To continue reading:
– This is how Bogotá will be from September 1
– The dilemma of reopening schools / Opinion
– ‘Believing that 100% of the schools will work is not possible’
