SAO PAULO, Dec.17 (Xinhua) – The governor of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, announced on Monday the decision to resume face-to-face classes from next February at the infant, primary and secondary education levels, even if the health situation due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“It is a decision taken from national and international experience and its objective is to guarantee the safety of students, teachers and non-teachers of the public and private network, seeking the cognitive and socio-emotional development of millions of children and adolescents,” said Doria in Press conference.
The return to face-to-face classes will be gradual and regionalized, according to the decision of the regional Health departments and in compliance with the safety criteria established by the Coronavirus Contingency Center.
The local Secretary of Education, Rossieli Soares, affirmed in the same conference that “the school can never close again, especially due to the emotional and pedagogical part of the students”,
However, he clarified that he will alternate between face-to-face and online activities depending on each municipality.
“The school proved to be a safe environment, even more so than bars or restaurants,” he compared.
Until now the opening of schools was optional, so now it will become compulsory, although with different levels of openness and occupied capacity depending on sanitary regulations.
The measure does not include university education, which will continue with the hybrid system exercised so far in universities since September 8, when the return to classrooms was allowed with limitations.
The state of Sao Paulo is currently the focus of the pandemic in Brazil, with 1,361,731 accumulated cases, of which 44,681 have died as of this Thursday.
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