Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1287818
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS Worried about the school return? LAURA CALLEJA IN just over two weeks, children across the country will return to the normality of the school year after one of the longest-ever ed- ucational breaks in history since the COVID-19 shutdown. Anxious parents about the school re-entry at a time when Malta is still registering between 20 to 40 coronavirus cases a day, many worry about the emotional toll on children adapting to the new normal of schools: bubbles, clusters, facemasks, hand sanitis- er, and lack of close contact with teachers. But the educational and child psychologist Dr Marilyn Muscat says children are more resilient than parents may think. "What we need to remember here is that there is going to be a change for everyone – both for the children and the teaching staff." Despite the daunting challenge of the 'COVID-19' school envi- ronment, Muscat says children have already learnt how to adapt to the world's new reality, by wearing masks at the supermar- ket for example, or having to see friends physically less often due to social distancing. "So while I think it will be a change for children and they will need time to adapt, I don't think it will be as drastic as some par- ents are fearing it will be," Muscat says. It is actually important for par- ents to reassure their children that measures are being taken PAUL COCKS SCHOOLS have gone into over- drive to welcome students in line with education COVID-19 guidelines, but several heads of school are facing seemingly in- surmountable obstacles. With social distancing spaces of 1.5 metres between students and 2m between adults, space seems to be the greatest challenge for most schools, which will require twice the areas they have been utilising with far fewer students in each class. And therein lies the problem: most schools do not have the extra room to utilise. St Aloysius College rector Fr Jimmy Barto- lo said the school does not have enough room to accommodate all students on every day of the week, so they will be drawing up timetables for students to attend school on alternating days. "This week we will be discussing the draft protocols for each school with members of staff and com- municate the rest of the informa- tion to parents and guardians," he said. "We really need their cooperation and understanding." Mario Mallia, head of St Albert the Great College in Valletta, is having similar issues. "We simply do not have the space, so we are currently trying to find alternate facilities to house some of our classes. This being Valletta, with space at a premium, we are not having much luck." St Albert too might have to go down the same route as St Aloysius College and introduce staggered attendance across the week for different classes, with the primary school being the main priority. St Edward's College in Birgu, on the other hand, is lucky not have such issues. Headmaster Nollaig Mac an Bhaird says the the school had adequate extra space in the form of rooms cur- rently not used as classrooms to manage any spillover. "While academics are undoubtedly im- portant to us, the first two weeks will be focused on habit building – getting both staff and students used to the new normal," he said. Bubbles Staffing is also a major concern for many schools. Mallia says the bubbles to keep students in the same group throughout the week, will necessitate more su- pervisory staff if the system is to succeed. "We are struggling at the moment to come up with enough numbers. And with LSEs instructed to carry out any su- pervisory work on classes and bubbles, we are currently short of staff to fill these roles." At St Aloysius College, the bubbles are being tackled differ- ently. "Our college has three big schools. Bubbles will be imple- mented differently in the three schools. To a certain extent it is easier to implement this practice Some schools planning alternate attendance Spaced out: how classrooms at St Aloysius College will look like