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A heartbreaking photograph of nursery school children sitting alone in their own “isolation sections” has caused shock and outrage in France.
It was taken in the northern city of Tourcoing, on the border with Belgium, and shows a group of boys and girls kept apart from each other by chalk-marked squares.
The three- and four-year-olds returned to school after nearly two months of coronavirus blockade when the French government eased the restrictions.
“I can’t get past this,” said historian Laurence De Cock, who posted the photo on Twitter. “This image is heartbreaking. We can’t call this ‘school’.”
(Image: Lionel Top)
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Lionel Top, a television journalist for the BFM news channel, took the photo on Tuesday and said the children had been told to stay in their areas.
“To guarantee respect for distances, while taking advantage of recreation, the teaching team drew squares on the ground for the little ones,” he reported.
“The children play, dance, jump, laugh together … but from this plaza. From what we have seen, they do not see it as a punishment.”
But other commentators expressed their sadness and anger at a scene that looked like something out of a “horror movie.”
“I have never seen such a sad image,” said Myriam Cau. “It is horrible to subject children to this.”
(Image: Lionel Top)
(Image: Lionel Top)
Lily, another Twitter user, wrote: “Just inhumane, embarrassing for children but also for teachers and institutes! How horrible!”
Others said it was like a scene from the Halloween series of slasher movies.
And Antoine Diot commented: “The image of the children in the chalk squares will finally illustrate this very strange situation in the history books.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Education in Paris said there was no “specific instruction” for teachers to draw chalk squares for their students.
But he confirmed that everyone had instructions to “maintain social distance” and not share anything.
Schools across France began reopening this week when the country emerged from an eight-week blockade to contain Covid-19.
Teachers are among those who have expressed extreme concern about this, and many parents keep their children at home.
The latest figures in France show that there have been a total of 26,991 coronavirus deaths since the start of the crisis, and 140,227 cases of Covid-19.
Boris Johnson said he aims for primary schools in England to reopen starting June 1 with selected year groups.
But teachers, unions and parents have voiced fears about the plans.
A survey suggests that most support staff are concerned that the reopening of schools puts children and their families at risk.
According to the GMB union survey, less than 1% of school support staff believe that children under the age of seven may be distanced socially from staff and peers.
The survey of more than 14,000 support staff in schools suggests that 96% are concerned about the health of students and their families if schools reopen.
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