Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) – From the point of view of Minister of Education Theresa Schopper (Greens), pregnant teachers should again teach in person for longer – however, the regional councils in the south-west want to continue to adhere to the strict rules from the Corona period. “The RKI continues to classify the risk for pregnant women as high,” said the regional councils of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Freiburg and Tübingen of the German Press Agency on request. Not the Ministry of Culture, but the so-called maternity protection groups at the regional councils are responsible for the topic.
Pregnant teachers are usually not allowed to teach in person in the south-west due to the pandemic. According to the State Ministry of Social Affairs, pregnant women with a corona infection have a higher risk than non-pregnant women of becoming seriously ill and having to go to an intensive care unit. Employment is therefore only possible in exceptional cases, provided that “sufficient measures to protect against infection can be guaranteed”, writes the Ministry of Education. In the first to third grades at elementary schools and in areas of special education and counseling centers, employment is generally not possible.
Schopper is now for a return to the old maternity protection regulation before Corona – and justifies this with the lack of staff in schools. “The fact that pregnant teachers are almost completely absent from face-to-face teaching presents us with major challenges, especially in primary schools,” she told dpa. “When teachers become pregnant, they drop out very suddenly, from one day to the next they are no longer available for face-to-face teaching – and this for a long time.” Schopper told the “Südwest Presse” a few days ago: “Pregnancy is not an illness, just a condition – and a nice one too.”
That’s why you should go back to the old rule, calls for Schopper. “Of course you have to include medical expertise on this question, but I would wish that we could use pregnant teachers and educators again more in attendance.” She is therefore in contact with the responsible authorities.
However, the regional councils put a stop to the minister. The four presidencies argue that the risk for pregnant women of becoming infected with corona in face-to-face classes has increased due to the elimination of the obligation to carry out tests and masks. There are also no new statements as to whether the risk for vaccinated pregnant women is lower. Vaccination can therefore not be taken into account in the risk assessment at the moment. Therefore, special protective measures are still necessary.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220608-99-582635/2
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