Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1283588
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 AUGUST 2020 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA A few thousands of parents congregat- ing on a Facebook group are insisting on their right to keep their children home when schools re-open. They are calling for online schooling to be retained as an option when schools reopen in September, as fears over the recent spike in COVID-19 grow. The Facebook group 'Covid-19: We want online learning in September' has amassed some 3,000 members. Julie El- lul, a mother of three, told MaltaToday the parents think a high-risk environ- ment such as a school made it easy for children to pass on the COVID-19 virus to vulnerable people in their family. "Despite the argument that symptoms are indeed mild in children, the long- term effects of such a new virus are yet to be seen," Ellul said. Malta is currently registering between 30 to 50 COVID-19 cases a day. The is- land now has the second-highest rate of new cases on a 14-day average in the EU. Ellul argued that even from the point of view of schools, having online schooling as an option would only ben- efit them positively. "If those who were able to keep their children at home did so, then there would be fewer children in the classroom physically." Ellul said that even though keeping three children under the age of ten home was no easy task, the health of her family was of the utmost importance. "Education is important and has always been in our family, but it is not the only thing we have to consider," she said. To date, the government has yet to publish protocols addressing what will happen once schools reopen. On TVM's Xtra, Education Minister Ow- en Bonnici said that with five weeks left until schools reopen, education au- thorities will wait for the official health guidelines to then develop procedures. But for Ellul, and many others in the group, the government's lack of action on schools has only intensified fears. "No matter what measures were put in- to place, I don't feel comfortable send- ing my children to school." These fears are also present among educators – a recent survey by the Un- ion of Professional Educators' claimed that 87% of member-educators oppose a physical return to classrooms in fear of contracting COVID-19. The union, the smaller of the two teachers' unions, includes a large cohort of learning sup- port educator. The parents' group on Facebook in- sists that should a student, teacher or LSE be found positive, the entire class would have to be quarantined, putting parents in an uncomfortable situation with their work commitment, since they would have to go under quarantine. They also argue that the infected per- son may have had contact with other staff or students, and because of this more people would end up having to be quarantined. "During the quarantine period, chil- dren will still be losing time for their education. When discussing a plan of action on re-schooling, it is important to keep in mind that schools will open in wintertime when flu is common," El- lul said. "What will happen when a child is sick or suffers from an allergy? Would they need to carry out the swab test each time? What about if schools open and need to close again due to COVID-19? Wouldn't this be disruptive for teach- ers, parents and most students? This could be preventable if the option of on- line schooling is given to the parents." Ellul said that her children would not be returning to school physically until the number of cases dropped consid- erably. "There are plenty of ways that the government can root out abuse of online schooling at home: one of them could be introducing a fine for not at- tending online school for more than three days – which is what is done for physical attendance. I don't see why this can't be an option in 2020," Ellul said. Ellul said that despite the argument that children do need socialisation with peers, even that will be limited by social distancing. "Asking children to social distance could negatively affect them psychologically with certain school ac- tivities and outings being impossible." She added that with COVID-19 re- strictions preventing children from sharing items, this could become dif- ficult to control for teachers especially with younger pupils. "Students may also be asked to keep a mask on and this may not be easy for children… What about breakfast club and Klabb 3-16 where you will have a mixture of children from different classrooms?" they asked. The parents' group claims that there is a higher risk inside middle and sec- ondary schools where children change classrooms for lessons. Ellul raised the point that grandpar- ents will be unable to pick up children who are attending school physically, forcing parents to leave work early. "I think instead of fighting us, the govern- ment should be putting measures into place in case we have to close again, be- cause God forbid, we're going to end up in the same position we were in March, with no one knowing what to do," she said. "If the parent and teacher or LSE co- operate, the parent will be involved more in the education of their children and can monitor better their progress. If at least several parents keep their children at home and will be offered the option of online learning, this will help in having a lower infection rate on the island. We will have healthier kids and healthier families," Ellul said. Parents anxious on COVID-19 still want online schooling as option For Julie Ellul, and many others in the group, the government's lack of action on schools has only intensified fears. "No matter what measures were put into place, I don't feel comfortable sending my children to school."