© Provided by La Tercera
Third
This Thursday, during the balance on the progress of Covid-19, the undersecretary of Public Health, María Teresa Valenzuela He reported that are working on an epidemiological surveillance protocol, coordinated with the Ministry of Education, for the return to face-to-face school classes in March on the next “Super Monday”.
When the authorities were consulted in this regard, Valenzuela specified that the protocol -“which is partly similar to the one applied last year”- consists “in carrying out active surveillance of outbreaks and testing according to epidemiological criteria. This vigilance establishes an immediate coordination between the Seremi of Education and of Health to timely identify outbreaks, causes, and obviously take measures, depending on the results of the epidemiological investigation”.
“This surveillance incorporates the entire school community to students, teachers, administrators, parents (…). Once this protocol is already approved by the Ministry of Education and by the Ministry of Health, It will be announced in the next few days and it will obviously begin to be distributed to educational establishments there.”, added the undersecretary of Health.
Valenzuela highlighted that unlike 2021, “this year we have a high population of vaccinated schoolchildren, teachers and administrators, which puts us in front of a different situation and one of greater protection of our boys and girls. To this day we have one coverage of 82% in children between 6 and 11 years old and 95% in the group between 12 and 17 years old. The latter, therefore, has to be very good news; let’s say that we are going to receive our students in a better way, more protected”.
Finally, the Undersecretary of Health pointed out that this situation will continue to be addressed and it is a “process on the verge of reaching agreements and obviously all of this will have to be discussed later with those who assume the next responsibility of this ministry”. This, in relation to the change of command on March 11, when the government of the elected President, Gabriel Boric, will take over.
teachers college
The first week of February, the President of the College of Teachers, Carlos Díaz, questioned the possibility of a return to the classroom, assuring that “If there is no dialogue with the parents, trust is not generated”, and that if the level of coronavirus infections continued, “Of course, the return to face-to-face attendance is at risk.”
The statements confronted him with the Minister(s) of Education Jorge Poblete, who assured that the statements of the union leader seemed “not very honest” and that “the return to face-to-face classes was worked on with the educational communities.”
Minister(s) of Education for statements by the College of Teachers: “I find them disingenuous (…) the return to face-to-face classes was worked on with the educational communities”
For its part, the future holder of the portfolio, Marco Ávila, He also distanced himself from Díaz’s position, affirming that “Presence must be the rule”in line with what Boric has raised.
