Neither open nor closed properly

METERWith great unity, the federal and state governments agreed tough measures to contain the pandemic. However, when it comes to school and daycare, the procedure is less harsh and closed than it seems at first glance. In the period from December 16 to January 10, children must be cared for at home “whenever possible”, schools “will generally be closed or compulsory attendance will be suspended”, according to the decision of the Chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states.

Very few countries have opted for a complete shutdown. Bavaria issued one of the strictest regulations, schools and kindergartens are closed there since Wednesday, except for emergency care for everyone “who needs it,” Prime Minister Markus Söder said. The same is true in Berlin. Most countries, however, have chosen a middle way: compulsory school attendance will be lifted, but the facilities will remain open for the remaining days until the Christmas holidays. This is combined with urgent appeals to parents. “Please leave the children at home,” Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) said on Sunday after the video exchange with the chancellor. Like North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse will keep schools open until the Christmas holidays. But those who can do so should leave their children at home, Bouffier said. If, for example, both parents worked, the children could still go to school.

In Hesse, students received “scheduled face-to-face lessons” if they came to school in the remaining three days before the holidays, said a spokesman for the Hessian Ministry of Culture. Only the exams that are absolutely necessary for graduation will be taken in the three days. Lessons for pupils who are still coming to school are held “neither in mixed groups nor as emergency care.” Baden-Württemberg behaves differently. There the Christmas holidays are brought forward, schools and nurseries close as of Wednesday, except for emergencies.

In Hesse, on the other hand, nurseries do not close outside of the already planned company holidays during Christmas, but according to Social Affairs Minister Kai Klose (Greens) the operation should be reduced “to a minimum”. Carriers decide exactly how it is designed according to hygiene standards. “Children for whom a visit to their nursery offer is indispensable receive an offer of care,” said Hessian Minister of Social Affairs Klose.

The decision as to whether there is a need for face-to-face tuition, daycare, or emergency care is left to parents everywhere, with the indication that the federal government will create the possibility of taking paid leave. In some countries, there was talk of “extended emergency care” on Monday. With these resolutions, the decision to send children to school has shifted to parents, quickly criticized the Union for Education and Science (GEW) in Hesse.