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From the first signs that Covid-19 infections are beginning to subside in the country, the debate about returning to face-to-face classes returns to the discussion table with strong opinions on both sides.
Also read: AEPF approves the initiative “Open my School”
Only with the return to classes this year, it is estimated that around 500,000 basic education students rejoined the “Learn at Home II” distance school system, established by the federal government in response to the health contingency. Even in its second edition this program has caused controversy over its ability to replace classrooms. Here are some thoughts on back to school:
Enrique Clausen, Secretary of Health in Sonora
Recently, the Secretary of Health Clausen Iberri caused controversy after suggesting that the State of Sonora could begin with preparations for a return to face-to-face classes, which he had to clarify would only occur with the epidemiological traffic light in green as stipulated by federal authorities. He also emphasized the importance of vaccination to get back to the classroom.
“(The President) made the announcement that it is going to prioritize that teachers are perfectly well vaccinated, so, we are going to wait for those doses of vaccines and we are going to be very supportive because it is in us to preserve life and health. to be very supportive of the requests made by the teachers that before returning to classes they should all be vaccinated, as well as the personnel who work in the areas of education ”
Innan Lagarda, teacher and member of the Open my School organization.
The Open my School movement, made up of parents, teachers and directors of public and private schools, agrees with the importance of vaccines for returning to school, but at the same time suggests that priority be given to taking students back to classrooms in a staggered manner. As the organization defends, there is currently enough information on prevention measures to reopen educational centers safely, arguing that studies carried out in European countries suggest that children do not transmit the virus as easily as students.
Among its main reasons are the problems that have arisen in students, especially children, from isolation; in addition to the fact that the cost of keeping schools closed in the education of children is greater than the risks of the disease in this population.
“We seek a return to face-to-face classes through security protocols, we seek to open a dialogue with the authority, one year after the closing of schools, we seek that the decision be reviewed, one year we have new scientific information, we propose that schools that are lists with protocols can start, if we do not take small steps such as the return to mixed mode “
Víctor Guerrero, head of the Ministry of Education and Culture (SEC).
The Secretary of Education in Sonora, Victor Guerrero, agrees that to carry out the return to schools it will first be necessary to comply with the provisions established by the federal government, so that this process is safe for students, teachers and workers.
“In Sonora we have a decree that was issued on March 25 that was modified on June 10, however in the modification it is still considered as a condition for returning to classes that we are on a green traffic light and that there are conditions set by the Council State of Health, especially through the Inter-ministerial Collegiate Body “
María del Carmen Velarde, mother of the family
The vaccination of teachers is one of the priorities that has been emphasized the most, recalling that despite the evidence that children may have less propensity to become seriously ill, different populations at risk coincide in the teaching staff.
“You cannot expect a return to school without the teachers being vaccinated, since it must be remembered that many of them belong to risk groups or suffer from chronic diseases that make them more vulnerable to the virus, in addition to children, due to their way of being, they tend not to follow sanitary rules and therefore it is also the responsibility of parents to commit not to leave their homes or expose their family “
Sergio Barraza, general secretary of the Union of Academic Workers of the University of Sonora (Staus).
On the part of the teachers, at the University of Sonora they agree on how the return to classes should be carried out, in the way that represents the least possible risk for all those involved, in a staggered manner and with due planning. As in other educational centers, the Maximum House of Studies has among its teaching staff people with risk factors against the new coronavirus, such as obesity or advanced age.
“The protocols to be taken for a staggered return must be clear, not all together; We cannot expect that from one day to the next we will all return to the presence activity, we do not oppose returning, but we do ask that it be done in a planned way, taking care of all the security measures and all the aspects that have already been mentioned “
Cecilio Luna, president of the State Association of Parents (Aepaf)
One of the main arguments for returning to face-to-face classes, whenever possible, is that the distance learning system has not given the results expected by the authorities at the beginning of the contingency, and is still far behind as a the real classrooms.
“The virtual system for our children in basic education is not feasible, it is not optimal for the development of our children; it is very different, for example, the online system that a young person in high school or a young university or university student may have; then they are very different, they are almost finishing their development “
Rogelio Varela, president of the Federation of Private Schools of Northern Sonora.
One area that has been particularly affected by the closure of classrooms is private education, whose schools also had to close during the contingency. Given this, the representative of the sector in the entity, Rogelio Varela, still agrees that it is best to wait for the provisions of the authorities in the matter to make a safe return.
“When the conditions are adequate, together with the talks and guidelines with the corresponding instances, both from the secretariats and from State Health, we will be able to reach the pertinent agreements and be able to open safely, in accordance with the institutions”
Claudia Pavlovich, governor of Sonora.
While in countries such as the United States there are strong movements to promote the return to face-to-face classes despite the health risk, authorities in Mexico agree that this factor should be the first to take into account before deciding to return to the classroom. This is how Governor Claudia Pavlovich has sentenced:
“I will not put Sonoran children at risk (…) there will be no face-to-face classes in Sonora until all teachers are vaccinated against Covid-19, and the protocols for a safe and gradual return are ready.”
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