The teachers are ready to welcome the children on February 8, the President of OELMEK Themis Polyviou told KYPE, adding that they were surprised by yesterday's decision, because they expected the DG Lyceum to start from Monday.
Asked to comment on yesterday's decision of the Minister to return the children of DG Lyceum on February 8, in the context of the gradual lifting of measures to deal with the pandemic, Mr. Polyviou said that "we were surprised because we expected the DG Lyceum to start from Monday".
"Okay, the decisions are made by the experts. Therefore, if they decided that DG Lyceum should return on February 8, we are ready to welcome the children. We just have two issues that we will be strong on. "First we want to implement to the letter the announcement of the Minister of Health that the returning employees will do the rapid test on a systematic basis and we consider it necessary that the rapid test be done for the children as well", he added.
He noted that since October, when this issue was raised, "we said and the Ministry agreed that the rapid test will be performed for children as well."
"Now I do not know why the children are taken out. The other point that we raised and a relevant letter was sent to the Minister, concerns the issue of vaccinations. We believe that from the moment we return to our work and we will be with 200, 300, 400, 500 many times children and dozens of colleagues among themselves, we must, as Greece, Germany and other European countries did, give priority to vaccination and teachers. Of course on an optional basis. "If he has someone who does not want to be vaccinated, it is his right," he added.
Asked in view of the return of the children of DG Lyceum to schools if they will have any meeting with the Minister of Education, Mr. Polyviou said that after the announcement of the new measures and the relaxation that occurred, they expect that the Minister will definitely invite them to see the data, to see what are the estimates for the return of the other classes of the school, to see what will happen with the subject of the material.
"So yes, we expect a meeting with the Minister," he noted.
Asked if they have been given a plan for the material and in general how these students will be reintegrated into the schools, Mr. Polyviou said that "we had talked to the Minister ten days ago and we said after the decisions for the "We will also discuss issues related to matter and everything."
"So, these things are pending, which we will see when the children return to school," he concluded.
Source: KYPE
