How are the Würzburg schools prepared?

With the end of the Pentecost holidays, the time has come: From next Monday, classroom classes for all classes and grades will also take place in the Würzburg schools for the first time in three months. But it is far from being a return to normal operation.

Depending on their size, the classes are further divided into groups and receive block tuition; the hygiene regulations continue to apply. The schools are well prepared, says Ole Münder, head of the municipal school department: “It will be really exciting when the new school year starts after the summer holidays.”

In the recent meeting of the school committee, Münder reported on the numerous challenges since the Bavaria-wide disaster was announced on March 13. The schools have been reopening in four steps since April 27, with teaching in small groups and in a shift system.

Different forms of teaching

Because the schools have a lot of leeway, there are many different types of block lessons: some schools rely on a weekly or fortnightly change, others bring their students into the classroom for half a week, while the rest are at home on the computer learns.

The city had taken care of important items, such as soap dispensers and mouth guards, well in advance of the first partial opening, even if that was difficult due to the high demand: Disinfectants, for example, were only available in large barrels and at inflated prices: “That’s why we have two tanks, each with 1,000 liters, were ordered and had to be filled by the schools themselves, “said Münder.

With the complete opening next Monday, it could still be difficult “to maintain the required hygiene standard in the long term”, the head of the department continues: To do this, the cleaning staff would have to be increased, but there are probably not enough reliable cleaning staff on the market.

High motivation of the teaching staff

Münder also reported that the teaching staff were highly motivated to switch the teaching units to digital offers and to teach their classes in several groups. Teachers aged 60 and over, who make up around a quarter of the teaching staff in the area of ​​the state school authority in Würzburg, belong to the Corona risk group and have the choice to stay at home. Almost no one made use of this, the department head emphasized.

He assumes that the roughly six weeks until the end of the school year can still be shouldered to a certain extent by everyone involved under the current conditions. If, however, the current hygiene requirements continue to apply in full operation after the summer holidays, “we will be able to use our capacities in terms of space and personnel,” emphasized Münder.

Weak students lose touch

In addition, the requirements of “homeschooling” place a heavy burden not only on affected families: “In the long run, the weak students lose with this solution, and they no longer catch up with them.” This trend is particularly evident in primary and vocational schools. According to Münder, some schools are thinking about bringing the weaker and the younger pupils into the house for classroom instruction.

In addition, for various reasons, not all students have a computer or laptop at home to take part in digital lessons or video conferences with their teachers. A special program of the Free State of 78 million euros, from which Würzburg has received one million euros, is intended to remedy the situation. The funds are to be used to make loaned laptops or tablets available to all students where possible.

–

• Wurzburg

• Patrick Wötzel

• Block classes

• computer

• Corona virus

• debacle

• Existence

• Home lessons

• Teachers

• Problems and crises

• School boards

• Pupils

• Lessons

–

–

–