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The coronavirus continues to spread. More than a thousand new infections are detected every day and the virus has spread to schools. Here, according to data from the Statistics Department on Monday, 196 chimneys are on fire, more than five thousand students are in self-isolation.
Ask where are the hybrid classes
Journalists from the tv3.lt portal received a ninth-year Vesta (real name known to the editorial board – aut. last.) letter. In it, the student asks how to behave when faced with the symptoms of a cold.
The student is considering whether it is better not to go to school and stay at home for a while and get a rapid coronavirus test, or whether it is better to take risks and continue attending classes. In the first case, according to Vesta, her learning outcomes would be affected, as she would have to study on her own. But it would be calmer so that nothing was contagious.
“So it is said that even after being vaccinated, you can get the virus, I am vaccinated, but when I feel that my nose is runny, I do not go with my grandparents, I do not want to go to class. I have more than 20 classmates. class, and what happens if I accidentally get infected with the coronavirus? ”- Vesta asks in a letter to tv3.lt.
The student says that she has heard that there should be so-called hybrid classes in schools, where some students sit and study in the classroom and some of them connect remotely and can directly observe what is happening in the classroom.
In fact, in May, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (ŠMSM) announced that hybrid classes would appear in schools for the fall. It was planned that a total of 2 thousand. such classes.
However, they do not yet exist. According to Vesta, if students had the opportunity to participate in part of the lessons remotely, it would be safer during a pandemic.
“In that case (if you feel cold symptoms – aut. last.) do not go to school immediately, but join classes from home. That would be much safer and I would like my colleagues to do it, ”says Vesta.
Ministry: Hybrid Classes – Already in November
The advisor to the Minister of Education, Science and Sports Dainoras Lukas tv3.lt points out that the National Education Agency signed an agreement on Tuesday with a supplier of equipment for the installation of hybrid classes.
“The acquisition took some time as the need for similar technologies has grown around the world. The equipment will arrive in schools during October and November,” says D. Lukas.
As planned in the spring, equipment will be purchased, which will be enough for almost 2 thousand. Hybrid classes installed. It is estimated that, on average, a school would have two hybrid classes.
“Municipalities will be able to decide how many classes to have in which school (this will depend on the size of the school), but there will be at least one class in each school. The equipment is portable and can be transferred from one class to another. Some schools have already provided this type of equipment in the past, ”says D. Lukas.
The ministry emphasizes that if a student falls ill, he must first take care of his health; students are not limited to COVID-19.
“If a student or several students have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and need to isolate themselves or the whole class, then distance learning is used. In each case, the school decides. If only one or more students in the class are isolated and distance learning is difficult to organize in this case, short-term independent assignments can be assigned, but distance counseling for teachers can be provided.
Students cannot be left without the help of a teacher or educational professionals. It is also possible to organize hybrid teaching in schools that are already prepared and equipped for it. When the whole class is isolated, the students receive distance education in accordance with the procedure established by the school, ”says the ministry.
The students are divided into two camps.
Karolina Pralgauskytė, president of the Lithuanian Student Union (LMS), says that it is currently difficult to hear objective information about students’ attitudes towards hybrid teaching. The students have recently returned to class and are still electing their representatives. It is expected that in the coming weeks LMS will be able to present the official position of the students on the topic of hybrid education.
However, at the end of the last school year, students opposed hybrid education. K. Pralgauskytė commented in the spring that students would prefer to study only by contact or only at a distance, but not by hybrid.
“The students are divided into two camps and one sees hybrid learning as a great alternative and a great method to apply due to the distance learning experience. The other party thinks that this is definitely not a solution and that additional challenges may arise ”, comments K. Pralgauskytė on tv3.lt.
According to the LMS president, if a student has to isolate himself, all teachers create the conditions for the student to study independently. Homework is assigned to the student and teachers are consulted. K. Pralgauskytė says that cases where isolated students do not communicate with teachers are isolated.
In general, students today value the opportunity to learn through contact.
“We see that emotions are more positive than negative. This is gratifying, because we see that the students also feel responsible, they become more and more aware, vaccinated, determined to try and in general they contribute so that we can study in contact for as long as possible ”, says K. Pralgauskytė.
Žvirdauskas: this is the future
Dainius Žvirdauskas, president of the Lithuanian School Leaders Association (LMVA), believes that hybrid education is the future of schools. However, teachers and most school leaders do not want a hybrid education. D. Žvirdauskas says that currently schools are better prepared to provide contact education or distance education.
“Many institutions are not fully prepared for hybrid education due to lack of equipment and competence. Certainly there are problems, but in my personal opinion, it is inevitable. Various institutions are making a great effort to prepare for hybrid education by assembling equipment and variants. cheaper with sound and video retransmission ”, says D. Žvirdauskas.
Some educational institutions have already purchased hybrid education kits. There are also municipalities that provided equipment to some classes on their own initiative.
“Each institution or municipality can seek a variety of unique solutions. In addition to the technical conditions, some experience or skill is required to organize the educational process. Because, no one knew and does not know how long everything will last, the effort is also made with enough intensity. The schools are preparing, but for everything to go smoothly and quickly, there is definitely an organizational chaos ”, says D. Žvirdauskas.
When asked how he thinks the acquisition of hybrid lesson equipment is delayed, Mr. Žvirdauskas reacts calmly. According to him, the ministry may not be able to provide for everyone, so municipalities or school leaders themselves should take care of that as well.
“We all know very well that public procurement always takes longer than expected, that’s the rule. Of course, if the team went a little earlier it would be nice, but October-November wouldn’t be too late. Perhaps we all feel that the pandemic situation will get worse in the same months that were very similar last year. Hopefully the situation improves. If the hybrid team arrives in October or early November, the schools will absorb it and be ready, ”says D. Žvirdauskas.
According to the interlocutor, the ministry made other important decisions in parallel: it drafted legislation specifying how hybrid education should be carried out.
“Technical solutions are a part. What are organizational solutions is another part. Schools are getting ready. If we knew what it would be like tomorrow, maybe we would put hay, ”says D. Žvirdauskas.
Most of the fireplaces are registered with educational institutions, but there is no rush to close them.
Currently, most active coronavirus outbreaks are in schools, but there will be no rush to close them this fall, says Giedrė Aleksienė, acting director of the National Center for Public Health.
“Currently, the highest number of chimneys is registered in educational institutions, for example, last week 129 chimneys were identified in educational institutions, while in the manufacturing sector – 18, in services – seven, in commerce – four. Since this weekend of Friday, we have also registered 48 chimneys in educational institutions, 40 of them in primary and secondary education, only eight were in preschool educational institutions, ”G. Aleksienė told Radio Lituana in an interview on Monday.
When asked whether the rapid spread of the virus in schools will lead to the transition to distance education, G. Aleksienė said that the closure of schools will not be rushed, because the situation has changed compared to spring.
“We will not be in a hurry to close schools this fall, the situation has changed compared to spring, there are many students vaccinated from the age of 12, for example, about 30% of children between 12 and 15 years old have been vaccinated, and older people from 16 years of age are already vaccinated, about 60 percent. Also, some of them are sick, so we will not offer to close classes completely when a sick student is identified in the class, ”said the NVSC director.
He also confirmed that it was planned to reduce the isolation period from 14 to 10 days after close contact with a person infected with COVID-19.
“It is planned to shorten it to 10 days, because the delta strain that is currently widespread, its incubation period is shorter and people infected with it get sick faster, the incubation period itself is shortened by the virus “said G. Aleksienė.
According to the Statistics Department on Monday, there have been 196 coronavirus outbreaks in schools. 668 cases are associated with them, 5113 high-risk contacts were identified.
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