The announcement of the Minister of Education, Prodromos Prodromos, about the beginning of the school year with the physical presence of the students but with the obligatory use of a mask for all the students caused a disturbance.
The return of students to schools was a priority of both the competent Ministry and the committee set up in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and all educational institutions (parents, teachers). However, what caused upset was the decision of the children of the Primary Education to wear a mask with the organized parents reacting, even inviting their members to convene an extraordinary session on Monday afternoon.
Speaking to SigmaLive, the president of the Confederation of Parents of Secondary Education, Sotiris Christofi, explained that "the session would take place within days on the occasion of the start of the new school year but we invited our members to hold an extraordinary meeting due to developments and announcements. the Council of Ministers on Friday ".
Mr. Christofi added that the mandatory use of a mask was not discussed during the meeting with the Minister of Education. "We will discuss the possibility of reviewing this decision because we believe that there are alternatives such as the optional use of the children's parents, because we know that there are families who want to protect their children."
As for the teachers, the general secretary of POED, Haris Charalambous, speaking to SigmaLive, said that the secretariat of the organization will meet on Tuesday regarding the beginning of the school year, while at the same time it will seek a meeting with the organized parents of Primary Education.
Commenting on the discussions as well as the concerns expressed by the parents regarding the mandatory use of the mask, Mr. Charalambous said that "the problem is not limited to the use of the mask by primary school children and teachers, there is also a serious problem of lack of desks as children should be away from each other. "To date, no provision has been made for the creation of smaller departments with the parallel appointment of new teachers where and where needed."
He also added that, "for several days now, the Ministry of Education has been telling us that students in Primary Education are absurd to wear a mask and will not wear one. We tried to persuade that teachers should not wear either, except when they have to be very close to a student. And they told us that was a very reasonable request. "Suddenly others decided."
"With the climatic conditions that existed before the coronavirus in the classrooms, we barely escaped the suffocation in September and October. Now and with a mask, the situation for students and teachers will really be unbearable. "They should think twice," he said.
However, in statements after the first reactions to the use of the mask, the Minister of Education appealed to parents and teachers for cooperation. Although he stated that he was aware of the inconvenience caused, he pointed out that the issue of health insurance was paramount. He also noted that the relevant protocol can be changed at any time.
Source: Sigmalive