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On September 23, Hernando Cevallos, Minister of Health, assured that by the end of this month 80% of teachers will be vaccinated and that at the end of November they would begin to immunize minors under 18 years of age in order to speed up the deadlines for the reopening of classes.
The Data Journalism Unit analyzed the reports of the state of reopening of schools prepared by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and found that of a total of 15 countries, Peru is the one with the fewest teachers vaccinated with the first dose (80%) and the fourth with the least immunized teachers with the two doses (67%). Countries like Chile and Uruguay already have 100% of their teachers fully vaccinated, while the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Colombia have 90%.
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Although, between the beginning of August and mid-September, the percentage of vaccinated teachers in the country increased considerably (it went from 12.8% to 67%), experts point out that it is important that everyone has both doses.
“To start classes in March 2022, we should have 100% immunized teachers by the end of the year and all students over 12 years of age with their two doses of vaccine by the end of February”, dice Idel Vexler, former Minister of Education, who emphasizes that this is a basic and possible measure.
On your side, Fernando Bolaños, Education officer of Unicef Peru, also highlights the importance of vaccinating teachers and students, for a safety issue. “Unicef has welcomed the political will to vaccinate 100% of the teachers and staff of the country’s educational centers,” he says. However, he emphasizes that it is not possible to wait for all teachers to be vaccinated to reopen schools and that this reopening must be progressive.
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Teachers vaccinated in Latin America
The reopening of classes in Peru
After 18 months with closed schools and virtual classes, the Government approved the National Emergency Plan for the Educational System. According to this document, the goal is to have 50% of schools open by June 2022, a deadline that has caused certain alarms.
“We welcome the approval of the plan, but we are concerned about the goals and deadlines set. We can’t wait that long, ”he mentions. Ruth Custode, Regional Education Specialist for Unicef. The expert explains that the impact on learning and psychosocial problems caused by the closure of schools in girls and boys has already begun to be seen. “All studies tell us that although virtual education has been able to alleviate the situation, it does not reach all children, especially the most vulnerable,” he highlights.
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Along the same lines, Vexler pointed out that the deadlines established in the protocol are not considering the urgency of the situation. “If we are thinking that only in July 2022 we are going to have half of the schools open, then that rule is designed to return to face-to-face by 2023. It will be three years with impact on learning,” he declares.
Of the total number of countries that have started with face-to-face or blended classes, Peru is the third with fewer students benefited from the reopening of schools. While Argentina and Colombia have 11.4 and 3.9 million students benefited, respectively, Peru does not reach 300 thousand. “Even Bolivia, with a smaller population, has 2.8 million children in face-to-face classes,” emphasizes Bolaños.
In the region, around 86 million children continue to be affected by the total or partial closure of schools. To date, 8 countries have all their schools closed; 7 have them fully open, such as Uruguay and Costa Rica; and 16 partially closed, including Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru.
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Students benefited from the reopening of schools
Accelerate reopening
Bolaños explains that when analyzing the statistics of the Ministry of Education of Peru (Minedu) and the protocols, which indicate that classes could be started in areas of low contagion, it is identified that 70% of schools could already be reopened, as long as they are met with two more elements of the norm: ensuring biosecurity and conducting family consultation. According to data from the Minedu, to date there are more than 85 thousand educational institutions enabled for its reopening that could benefit more than 5 million students.
For the expert, the same exercise should be carried out with schools that was done for markets, shopping centers, restaurants and cinemas: find the appropriate protocols and solve efficiently and quickly the problems of cleaning, water and sanitation, and infrastructure. from most schools. In this context, he assures, more than 50% of boys and girls would be in face-to-face classes. “Schools are essential services and they should be seen that way,” he emphasizes.
Ruth Custode explains that accelerating the reopening of schools is a political decision that governments and ministries of education must make. In the case of Peru and the region, this decision has been delayed, but it should not be done any longer. It is estimated that around three million children in Latin America will not go back to school. The most affected are the levels of initial and secondary.
“If we do not change this situation, we could be the country most affected in learning and in the socio-emotional well-being of students throughout Latin America,” says Vexler, who considers that education has not been seen as a priority.
According to Vexler, the government should aim to strengthen distance education in public educational centers for this year, and begin to organize, at the latest in October, the reopening of schools with activities such as maintenance, cleaning, conditioning, purchase of hygiene kits and ensure water and drainage in most establishments. “There are 3,000 school buildings that are abandoned,” he says.
For Ruth Custode, in addition to guaranteeing laundry facilities in all schools and compliance with protocols, it is essential to carry out an adequate epidemiological follow-up that allows safe reopening and efficient decision-making. Custode assures that when the schools were closed there was no analysis and that now it is essential that adequate monitoring and epidemiological surveillance be carried out.
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Situation of schools in Latin America
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