In cases of one or more cases of COVID-19 infections, a 3-step scenario is activated.
RTL asked teacher unions and student representatives for their thoughts. Their assessment is mixed.
According to Patrick Arendt from the teacher's union SEW, theory and practice of the Ministry of Education's safety concepts are not always compatible. While the 3-step plan is the right approach, it is insufficiently thought through, he argues. A number of situations are not accounted for, which causes problems in practice, and a reasonable flow of communication with teachers and parents is often lacking.
Arendt bemoans a lack of clarity and support when actual cases occurred. "Classes are supposed to be isolated with one infection, but then it's unclear what should actually happen. Then they say the teacher is responsible if they practice the distance measures, but in practice this is not possible. You can see there are contradictions here."
There is a feeling that the Ministry is putting too much responsibility on schools. Patrick Remakel from the union SNE argues that there should be more solutions for specific cases, while acknowledging, of course, that not every case can be accounted for.
Some elements of the concept work well, others not so much. The staggered breaks, for instance, are not ideal. "That some kids are on break while others have to learn is not entirely unproblematic."
Generally, the problem is that much remains unclear, Remakel continues: "The instructions are not clear. We have three scenarios, but it's still not clear what we're supposed to do."
Getting a response from responsible authorities can take a long time. There is definite room for improvement from the Ministry, Remakel concludes, adding that they are seeking additional dialogue with Minister Claude Meisch.
Both union representatives also stressed that the instructions for excessive airing were not that easy to implement in practice. This is echoed by student representatives, especially with the coming colder weather. The student conference CNEL would like to see clear guidelines regarding masks. President Kimon Leners: "Experts say the effect decreases after four hours. This should be accounted for. Many students have trouble wearing a mask for eight hours." According to him, there are situations where people keep enough distance that better solutions could be found rather than forcing everyone to wear a mask.
Leners adds that students are well aware of the seriousness of the issue though and are respecting current rules.
