Updated: 05.01.2022 - 09:01
The feared omikron wave also employs education policy.Do the schools remain open, even if the infection figures should go up steeply?
In the middle of the week, the lessons run in half of the federal states after the Christmas break.Photo: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Do the schools have to close again?
Berlin (dpa) - In a special switch, the cultural ministers of the federal states advise today about the situation in schools against the background of the growing omicron wave.
- Anzeige -In the middle of the week, the lessons run in half of the federal states after the Christmas break.Millions of other students will return next week.The consultations are about how school operations can be maintained even with steeply increasing infection figures.
In advance, representatives of several federal states made it clear that renewed school closings on a large scale are not up for debate and demanded simplified quarantine rules.Binding agreements are not to be expected from the consultations of the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK).Since education is a matter of the country, the KMK usually takes resolutions that have more appeal character.
- Anzeige -Schulschließungen als Ultima Ratio
The coordinator of the SPD-ruled federal states in the KMK, Hamburg's school senator Ties Rabe, told the German Press Agency: "I assume that the cultural ministerial conference will once again confirm its decision to keep the schools open as long as possible".The needs of children and adolescents must be better in view than before, said Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of Education Karin Prien (CDU), who took over the KMK presidency at the beginning of the year, the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe.«This means that we only close the schools when all other options are exhausted.»
Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger assured the countries to help.«I very much hope that the Conference of Ministers of Education will speak out to keep the schools open with Omikron.As a federal government, we support with everything that is necessary to enable this, »said the FDP politician of the new Osnabrücker Zeitung».
- Anzeige -«Kritische Infrastruktur»
Hesse's Minister of Culture Alexander Lorz (CDU), coordinator for the CDU-ruled countries in the KMK, demanded a decision to reduce the quarantine period.«Because the schools count with eleven million students nationwide and 800.000 teachers for me on the critical infrastructure, which must now be particularly protected, »said Lorz of the dpa.
It has been discussed for days as to whether the quarantine times in Germany and in other countries should be shortened in order to keep important care areas running if infections increase.
In schools, a situation should be avoided like a year ago.At that time, the schools in the Lockdown, which was only gradually lifted into the spring.Some students only returned to the classes in May.Due to the long failures, it is estimated that at almost a quarter of the students have built up or enlarged learning residues.
Everyone is aware of how much students suffered from school closings last year, said Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Education Stefanie Hubig (SPD).In the KMK there is largely unity that the teaching material can best be conveyed at school.
- Anzeige -Psychische Erkrankungen durch Schließungen
The President of the German Society for Pediatric Medicine, Jörg Dötsch, who is also a member of the Federal Government's Corona expert council, referred to the risk of mental and physical illnesses through closings.In addition, through the good test system, the schools could also contribute to regulating infection among children and adolescents, he told the dpa.«Fortunately, the omikron variant is similar to the delavarians in children and adolescents than in adults.There is no aggravation here.»
According to changes to the Infection Protection Act by the traffic light parties, comprehensive school closings are no longer possible.Thuringia therefore had to withdraw his plan to start the new year with distance lessons throughout the Free State.Now it is up to the schools how they want to proceed.
Drei-Stufen-Plan in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The schools should also decide in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.The Ministry of Education in Schwerin has created a three-stage plan.The facilities should always define on Thursday with a view to the current personnel position and inform parents, school authorities and school offices, whether it is in full presence in the coming week (phase 1), with changing groups in older students (phase 2) or distance lessons (Phase 3) gives.
"I believe that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is correct," said the President of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, the "Rheinische Post".There is not only the alternative presence lessons or school closings, but a diverse bundle of measures in between.He said to the "Watson" portal: "In principle, teachers are of course for face -to -face lessons because we know about the consequential damage of school closings - but not at all costs.»
The chairwoman of the Education and Science Union (GEW), Maike Finnern, does not believe that presence lessons at all schools will be possible consistently."We have to make ourselves honest," she told the "Business Insider" portal "."There will be schools that have to teach at a distance".
