School season in Syria: no guarantees of a healthy return



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Damascus | The Syrian Ministry of Education has set a date of September 13, the current date for the start of the new academic year (2020/2021), after suspending the educational process for almost 6 months, due to the spread of the Corona virus. The Ministry of Education attached its announcement to a list of recommendations, including specifying the duties of the school health supervisor, ensuring that “soap is permanently present in sinks and bathrooms, and that users clean toilets regularly. , sterilize door handles and seats, and clean up the school environment. “

Despite repeated attempts by the ministry to reassure parents, it has failed to allay their fears, which continue to rise as the start of the school year approaches, fearing their children will contract the infection, especially in overcrowded public schools. . What reinforces these concerns is the awareness of the parents of the students that the faults affect rusty water taps and bathroom handles, and the lack of sanitary conditions under normal circumstances, so what happens when the epidemic spreads?
A government source familiar with the dossier reveals in an interview with Al-Akhbar that “the appropriations allocated by the government team to deal with the Coronavirus amounted to about 100,000 million pounds, including the Ministry of Education, provided that the detergent rations and sterilizers are distributed to each school, taking into account the division of a division into two parts within two shifts: the first in the morning and the second at night, in addition to canceling musical, sports, informative and pictorial material.

Conditions in private schools appear to be even lower due to the availability of more funds

However, the principal of a public school in Damascus, who preferred not to be identified, denies in a statement to Al-Akhbar that he has received cleaning tools, sterilizers or masks so far, noting that “the great catastrophe lies in the broken stripes , they need maintenance, and they are few. There are 10 touches for 1000 students, noting that the rest time does not exceed 15 minutes, which means imaginative congestion during this short period, and how easy it is to transmit the infection! ». In turn, one of the teachers warns against stealing benefits as usual, and says: “The virus response team steals the allowances, and if they steal them, the school administration will steal them and they will take them away from your father, and pay attention to the account of our health and the health of our children.

Between government and private
There are many questions about the ability of the Ministry of Education to sterilize all public schools and carry out necessary and periodic maintenance. In this context, a teacher does not support a return to school attendance until the virus recedes, especially in light of the presence of young students who are not sufficiently aware of how to deal with the pandemic. And he warns that “school is a source of infection. Young students are afraid of catching it. They do not understand the concept of physical distancing, and it is difficult for them to understand that you ask them to keep the mask for hours.” Another teacher believes, for her part, that “it is impossible to control an entire school with a single health supervisor, and you need a large team of supervisors. Students have bad habits such as sharing water bottles, exchanging erasers and pencils and put them in your mouth. ”
In turn, Janset, mother of two primary school students, calls on those interested to listen to the voice of parents, addressing them saying: “A job is not experiences or bets, they are spirits, it is not! a method if we are not able to change it! ”. The mother added: “Public schools lack minimum health standards and lack organization. One class includes 60 students, all 3 students sitting in a seat!”
However, the conditions in private schools that pay attention to cleaning, sterilizing and regulating the movement of students appear to be less onerous. This is due, in part, to the premium-based financing factor. Zina, who is the mother of a student at a private school, notes, “(I) feel comfortable about my only son at the private school, since the number of students in a class does not exceed 22, and each student sits in your own seat and no one participates in it, reducing the chances of infection. Cleaning workers also continue to sterilize every time the toilets are used, with the presence of health personnel to guide the students and take care of them.

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