The Government of Mexico insists on the return to face -to -face classes of all students
El regreso de los alumnos a las aulas se ha vuelto una de las prioridades del Gobierno mexicano tras un año y ocho meses de pandemia. El anuncio de la vuelta a clases presenciales se dio desde el pasado 30 de agosto, pero la transición aún avanza a tientas, entre padres de familia que sienten incertidumbre y maestros y estudiantes que batallan para acostumbrarse a un sistema híbrido. La Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) barajaba que para los primeros días de noviembre la situación pudiera normalizarse, pero ha evitado establecer un plazo concreto para lograrlo. Andrés Manuel López Obrador ha llevado el tema este lunes a la tribuna presidencial y ha dicho que el asunto es impostergable en su conferencia matutina. “Ya no hay ninguna justificación”, ha dicho el mandatario, “hay que reabrir las escuelas”.
More than 18.5 million young people from all levels have already returned in person, although the total number of students in the country has been estimated by the authorities between 25 and 30 million.The resumption of cours.Like the rest of the activities, everyday life is impregnated with the so -called "new normality".In Canada High School, a public school south of Mexico City, a digital thermometer and a sanitizing mat seem to give tranquility to their 546 students (and their parents) of the morning shift.All people must use covers and there are gel and soap dispensers so that they can wash their hands recurrently.The return, in addition, has been staggered: half of the students go one week and the other stays at home with duties and jobs to keep up until you have to return.
"Pandemia has been the most important challenge we have lived," admits Jorge Jesús García, with more than two decades of experience as director of public schools."At first I was afraid and not just me, all," says García, 74, who recognizes that several teachers became ill during the most critical months of the Covid-19 epidemic.There was a technological barrier to teach remotely, several students did not have internet access in their homes and about a quarter of students had to leave their school.To this is added the psychological and economic impact, which has mostly affected the most vulnerable social sectors."The economy has been critically affected and parents could no longer have them at home, they had to continue to work," he explains.
Therefore, the decision of the majority was to endure that fear and return as soon as possible.In Canada high school, eight out of ten parents have decided to send their children, but the rest is not yet confident and children are delaying.The return has been voluntary, but given the impossibility of the teachers to bend turn, classes by videoconferencing are no longer taught.Eventually, those who do not return will have to repeat the course.The bleeding of students who have not returned has compensated for middle -class families, who stopped enrolling their children in private schools that did not return in person, says Garcia."I see a lot of enthusiasm in the students, there was a need to be here," says the director.
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But the pandemic has disrupted several young people who, despite being already in the middle of secondary education or high school, step on school at that level of teaching for the first time.That is the case of Manuel Gómez, 13."I did not imagine my first day of high school, it has been a bit difficult," says the young man, who returned to school 15 days ago."It gave me something to come back, but it is better to be here than at home, you don't learn the same," says his father, José Luis, who got sick from Covid last year."I think teachers have to be more flexible and realize that it is difficult to grab pace, we still don't get used to each other and I don't think they," he adds.
In the middle of the year, the educational authorities estimated school dropout in at least one million students during the pandemic.The locks that had been put for the face -to -face return were that the epidemiological traffic light, the system that regulates the reactivation of activities in the country, was in green, a requirement that meets 29 of the 32 states of Mexico.They also asked that the majority of the inhabitants be vaccinated, a figure that is around half of the adult population with complete schemes.The Government, although it has approved the use of adolescents vaccines, resists immunizing minors.And the coronavirus case curve has fallen by 23% compared to the previous week, although these days the 290 threshold was exceeded.000 deaths from the beginning of pandemic.
The evidence in the country and the consensus of international recommendations is that the reopening of schools is not a factor that triggers Covid cases and that the benefits are greater than the risks.But the return to classes has not found the formula to materialize completely, either due to deficiencies in the infrastructure, abilities exceeded in some states, fear of some sectors of the population or hesitation of the federal and local authorities.The Executive's message will be sought to be sooner rather than later."Third call, third call," said López Obrador, "it is very important face -to -face education and it is a respectful call that girls, boys, adolescents go to schools again".
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