A “angry mom” wrote to us this Tuesday morning, back to school day for kindergarten children. In Ans in the province of Liège, the municipal authorities decided last Friday that only pupils in third kindergarten will return to school. It will not be before Wednesday, June 10, for a frequency of half a day per week until the end of the month. “My 5 year old daughter will be able to return but my 2nd 3 year old will not be able to find her class”, informs us the mother in her testimony via the orange button Alert us. “My children’s mental health is worth less than that of others just because they are listed in the wrong municipality?”she asks. “The children hear the news and I assure you that they do not understand why they are deprived of the pleasure of finding their teacher and their friends!”, continues the mother.
What does the alderman say? We called her this morning. To arrive, with the entire municipal college at a “thoughtful decision”, Ms. Dubois met with all the players in the field (teachers, directors, supervisors, unions). And it came out that the teams, “on the kneecaps”, did not want this return. The only solution was to postpone and severely limit the start of the new school year in municipal nursery and primary education for 100 classes and 2,200 pupils.
To a staff “tired and anxious”, there are logistical and organizational problems:
– redevelopment of premises,
– the quantity of soap and hydro-alcoholic gel necessary for the numerous disinfection points, “the reserves are running out very quickly” said the alderman,
– the multiplication by four of the students’ entry / exit, recess and noon times so that the children remain in their bubble and do not mix with those of another.
The constraints faced by many schools are compounded by the absence of 10 teachers “Covid certification”. As provided by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, these absent teachers receive their salary. Therefore, if the municipality wants to replace them, it should draw on its finances itself.
The alderman reminds that, even if many classes do not resume or only partially, children can drop their children off at the daycare center where the teachers make, on a rotating basis, a presence and assistance for children who encounter difficulties in their educational file.
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