Do schools open their doors after the general closure?

Under the title “Do schools open their doors after the end of the general closure?”, An-Nahar posted:

The general closure is coming to an end, and each time the education sector waits until the last minute to decide on the issue of returning or opening schools.

Parents are perplexed by their theme, “no data or atmosphere on the horizon”, everyone is waiting for what will happen in the next two days, but it is true that the decision to extend the closure is unlikely, and the challenge today is in the safe return so that we do not repeat the same experience in the failure of the return commitment. Progressive segments.

When addressing the issue of school opening and the risk of return, many experts and doctors rely on the European model that returned to isolation and closure, with the exception of the education sector. This deep-seated conviction among some reflects a scientific view that schools were not among the places where the transmission of infection was widely and highly recorded if it remained committed to conditions and preventive measures to the highest degree. . While others considered that the return can be risky, especially because the number of injured continues to be high, while the child is the silent carrier of the home, and therefore, the customs present in our society differ from those of European societies.

The Director of Orientation and Orientation of the Ministry of Education, Hilda El-Khoury, explains in her speech to Al-Nahar that, “We usually follow the plan adopted in the country with the theme of closing and opening. Today, at the meeting of the Crown Committee, the affairs of the country in general were discussed and each sector was asked for a set of information to substantiate the situation. The general plan to reopen the country In this regard, the Ministry of Education wanted the Crown Committee to take into consideration some points, including the issue of the singular and the double, due to the difficulty of implementing them in the event of the opening of schools and other challenges faced by the education sector as a result of the closure of some towns and villages (including, in fact, schools). Some schools remain closed due to their presence in an area with a high number of victims.

So today we are heading to restore blended learning, but we are waiting for two meetings tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in this regard, to issue an official decision by the Minister of Education and Higher Education. The Ministry of Education is working with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the Red Cross and the Crown Committee to trace the path of injuries that were recorded for those under 18 years of age to verify the origin of the infection and analyze it, in addition to developing a room in the Ministry of Education to keep pace with the integrated learning program to become an electronic program (managers, health guides and nurses were trained). In public and private schools).

Regarding the discussion about postponing schools in the next two weeks and that the education sector will not be one of the sectors that will work again after the opening of the country, El-Khoury assures that “this is inaccurate, and tomorrow they will all be discussed matters in scientific terms, so the final decision will be issued. The Education Minister issues the decision on Friday at the latest so that parents and schools know their fate upon return.

What did a source from the Crown Commission tell us?

While a Crown Committee source indicated to Al-Nahar that “there is no extension of the general shutdown in the way that prevailed. However, not all sectors and countries will be opened at once, including schools. As expected, the procedures for schools are not to retake lessons on the 30th of this month. According to the blended education program specified by the Ministry of Education, it will be temporarily replaced by an alternative program, that is, the gradual enrollment of students in schools, provided that distance education remains the basis for the next two weeks, With the exception of graduates who may return to their classes with an attendance not exceeding 50%, and the rest will continue. Online, highlighting that “nothing is final until the commission approves the final program for the reopening of the country in the next two days.”

In the opinion of a specialist in bacterial diseases and a member of the Crown National Committee, Dr. Abdel-Rahman Al-Bizri, “Many countries have made the decision to close, but keep schools open and excluded from the decision. International studies have shown that schools were not the main source of infection transmission, so we are in favor of preserving the school year and the safety of Students at the same time. Moving on to the reopening of the country today and the most important question: ” Are there measures taken by the State to organize the process of conquest, and among them are there special procedures for schools? “

He added: “There is a protocol for schools and it has been used. However, the challenge lies in the ability of all schools to implement and adhere to it. Therefore, there is no objection to an informed return to schools.”