Closing schools to force parents to work from home was simply wrong, says union
2 years, 2 months ago

Closing schools to force parents to work from home was simply wrong, says union

NL Times  

The second coronavirus-related school closures in the Netherlands in mid-December 2020 caused “confusion and frustration among parents” because the Cabinet said the closures were to let parents work from home, not to protect the children, the Dutch Safety Board said in its second coronavirus report on Wednesday. “This report confirms that the school closures were also taken to force parents to work from home,” AOb chairman Tamar van Gelder said. The Safety Board said that it is still unclear whether the school closures had any effect on the spread of the coronavirus, NU.nl reported. “But then the threat must be serious.” Instead of closing schools, the government could have made it mandatory for parents to work from home if their profession allowed it, the Safety Board said.

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History of this topic

School absences doubled as ‘knock-on’ effect of pandemic lockdowns – report
3 months, 2 weeks ago

School absences doubled as ‘knock-on’ effect of pandemic lockdowns – report

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy School absence rates in the UK doubled from pre-pandemic levels …

School closures: What the data really say about their cost.
1 year ago

School closures: What the data really say about their cost.

Slate  

The headlines were alarming. Yet somehow, the conservative National Review turned this into “If you want to know why your children are in Zoom school, look to your local teachers’ union.” Many on the right were undoubtedly sincerely concerned about the teen mental health crisis, the decline in test scores, and the growth of the gap in academic skills between …

Ministers were warned that suicide would kill more children than Covid
1 year, 5 months ago

Ministers were warned that suicide would kill more children than Covid

The Telegraph  

The Government was warned that more children would die from suicide than from Covid-19 before they ordered damaging school closures, a report by parent campaigners has found. A joint briefing paper by the Department for Education and the Independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours warned in November 2020 that “many more children will die from suicide than Covid-19 this …

Will Schools and Colleges be Closed Due to Covid-19?
1 year, 11 months ago

Will Schools and Colleges be Closed Due to Covid-19?

News 18  

Recently, a lot many news and screenshots are going viral on social media, in which it is being told that all the schools will remain closed for the next 20 days. PIB tweeted that the news of the issuance of the government order to close the schools and colleges is completely false. “Many news are being shared on social media …

Column: Closing schools in the pandemic was bad. Keeping them all open would have been worse
2 years, 1 month ago

Column: Closing schools in the pandemic was bad. Keeping them all open would have been worse

LA Times  

A pupil at Weaverville Elementary School in Weaverville, Calif., works on a classroom assignment in March 2021, when rural schools remained open despite the pandemic. The question that never gets raised, much less answered, when the conversation turns to how bad the school closures were, is: “Compared to what?” “What would have happened had schools remained open without any mitigation …

Online school put US kids behind. Some adults have regrets.
2 years, 2 months ago

Online school put US kids behind. Some adults have regrets.

Associated Press  

BOSTON — Vivian Kargbo thought her daughter’s Boston school district was doing the right thing when officials kept classrooms closed for most students for more than a year. “It is very easy with hindsight to say, ‘Oh, learning loss, we should have opened.’ People forget how many people died,” said Austin Beutner, former superintendent in Los Angeles, where students were …

Mandate COVID Vaccination for Adults, Don’t Make School-going Children a Scapegoat
2 years, 8 months ago

Mandate COVID Vaccination for Adults, Don’t Make School-going Children a Scapegoat

News 18  

Schooling has been a matter of enthusiastic, and often passionate, debate since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world. The second cause of worry is the assumption that with schools being open, children would infect each other and spread it to their teachers or carry it home and infect the adults, especially the grandparents who we do know have a higher …

What About Kids at Malls & Functions, Ask Experts as Rising Covid Cases Bring Back School Closure Demand
2 years, 8 months ago

What About Kids at Malls & Functions, Ask Experts as Rising Covid Cases Bring Back School Closure Demand

News 18  

With a rise in the number of school-going children catching coronavirus in India, especially in Delhi and neighbouring areas, the demand to shut schools and cancel exams is back. The virus spread irrespective of opening of schools,” believes Naman Jain, Education Expert and Director, Silverline Prestige School, Ghaziabad, who is currently running the school in accordance with strict Covid-19 protocol. …

State schools need our urgent attention
2 years, 9 months ago

State schools need our urgent attention

Hindustan Times  

Close to four million students shifted to State-run schools in 2020-21, according to the Union ministry of education’s Unified District Information System for Education report. The report shows that the bulk of the drop in the enrolment from pre-primary to Class 12 was found in the early classes and that nearly 75% of schools did not have internet facilities and …

School closure affecting kids’ health, say medical experts
2 years, 10 months ago

School closure affecting kids’ health, say medical experts

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: With schools reopening on Tuesday, medical experts are divided on whether the timing was right given the ground-realities. Secretary of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics Dr E. Arjun, from Apoorva hospital, said the academy was in favour of resuming classes as the health issues they are prone to by being at home were worse than the risk of contracting …

School reopening pressure mounts on governments
2 years, 10 months ago

School reopening pressure mounts on governments

India Today  

Covid-19 pandemic doesn't seem to end. The union government is working on a model for staggered opening of schools for physical classes following all Covid-19 related protocols, sources said on Thursday. Parents demanding schools to reopen "As parents have been demanding the opening of schools, the union government is working on a model for staggered opening of schools following all …

Keep schools open, children can't wait: UNICEF
2 years, 10 months ago

Keep schools open, children can't wait: UNICEF

India Today  

Keep schools open amid the Covid-19 pandemic, said an official statement released by UNICEF. Also, World Bank's Global Education Director Jaime Saavedra said that there is no justification now for keeping schools closed in view of the pandemic and even if there are new waves, closing schools should be the last resort, according to the UNICEF Recommendations to reopen schools …

Centre likely to issue advisory on reopening schools soon: Sources
2 years, 10 months ago

Centre likely to issue advisory on reopening schools soon: Sources

India TV News  

With the COVID-19 vaccination drive for children aged 15 gathering pace, the Centre is likely to issue an advisory soon to reopen schools across the country. Sources have told ANI that, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked the National Expert Group to suggest ways and work on modalities to open schools nationwide. Top sources have also told ANI that …

UP schools to remain closed till February 15 to contain Covid spread
2 years, 10 months ago

UP schools to remain closed till February 15 to contain Covid spread

Hindustan Times  

All schools will remain closed in Uttar Pradesh till February 15 for physical classes, to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease, an official order issued by the state government said. Uttar Pradesh extends closure of schools till February 15. Online classes will continue as usual in view of the upcoming secondary board examinations, announced Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary …

Will consider demand for school reopening in 10-15 days: Maharashtra health minister
2 years, 11 months ago

Will consider demand for school reopening in 10-15 days: Maharashtra health minister

India Today  

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday the demand for reopening of schools in Maharashtra will be considered after the next 10-15 days in light of students suffering education loss and the low incidence of Covid-19 infection in children. Speaking to reporters, the health minister said, "Demands are rising from certain quarters for reopening of schools as children are …

No justification now for keeping schools closed in view of COVID-19: World Bank Education Director
2 years, 11 months ago

No justification now for keeping schools closed in view of COVID-19: World Bank Education Director

The Hindu  

There is no justification now for keeping schools closed in view of the pandemic and even if there are new waves, closing schools should be the last resort, according to the World Bank's Global Education Director Jaime Saavedra. Talking about the impact of school closures due to the pandemic in India, Mr. Saavedra said the "impact is more severe than …

'No evidence that reopening schools caused Covid surge': World Bank Education Director
2 years, 11 months ago

'No evidence that reopening schools caused Covid surge': World Bank Education Director

India TV News  

Highlights There is no justification now for keeping schools closed in view of pandemic: World Bank official There is no relation between opening schools and spread of coronavirus, he said. There is no justification now for keeping schools closed in view of the pandemic and even if there are new waves, closing schools should be the last resort, according to …

Covid 19: Schools closed upto class 10, night curfew timings revised in UP
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid 19: Schools closed upto class 10, night curfew timings revised in UP

India TV News  

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday issued fresh Covid guidelines in the state in light of rising cases. The government has also said that all districts upon crossing 1,000 Covid cases will have to shut down cinema halls, gyms, spas and banquet halls. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma Tuesday said the state government is already prepared to …

Primary schools set to close early, evening lockdown to run to January 14: NOS
3 years ago

Primary schools set to close early, evening lockdown to run to January 14: NOS

Dutch News  

Prime minister Mark Rutte and health minister Hugo de Jonge are expected to announce that primary schools will close on Friday for the winter break at Tuesday evening’s press conference, Dutch media report. The government’s Outbreak Management Team recommended closing primary schools early because youngsters currently account for the largest share of new infections. In addition, the recommendation that individual …

Primary schools set to close early, evening lockdown to run to January 14: NOS
3 years ago

Primary schools set to close early, evening lockdown to run to January 14: NOS

Dutch News  

Prime minister Mark Rutte and health minister Hugo de Jonge are expected to announce that primary schools will close on Friday for the winter break at Tuesday evening’s press conference, Dutch media report. The government’s Outbreak Management Team recommended closing primary schools early because youngsters currently account for the largest share of new infections. In addition, the recommendation that individual …

Lockdown extension, school closures likely announced in Covid press conference tonight
3 years ago

Lockdown extension, school closures likely announced in Covid press conference tonight

NL Times  

In a press conference on Tuesday evening, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge will announce what the coronavirus restrictions will look like over the holiday period. Only drug stores and supermarkets can remain open until 8:00 p.m. Netherlands residents are also urged not to receive more than four visitors per day. Before the press conference …

Schools will remain open, but cafes and theatres face early closure, leaks suggest
3 years ago

Schools will remain open, but cafes and theatres face early closure, leaks suggest

Dutch News  

Speculation is mounting about what the government plans to do to contain the spread of coronavirus, but it now seems likely that schools will remain open. Both broadcasters NOS and RTL, and the AD newspaper, say schools will not close but will face extra measures, which could include face masks for older children. Healthcare Health minister Hugo de Jonge said …

Schools will remain open, but cafes and theatres face early closure, leaks suggest
3 years ago

Schools will remain open, but cafes and theatres face early closure, leaks suggest

Dutch News  

Speculation is mounting about what the government plans to do to contain the spread of coronavirus, but it now seems likely that schools will remain open. Both broadcasters NOS and RTL, and the AD newspaper, say schools will not close but will face extra measures, which could include face masks for older children. Healthcare Health minister Hugo de Jonge said …

OMT experts say keep schools open but shut shops early: NOS
3 years ago

OMT experts say keep schools open but shut shops early: NOS

Dutch News  

Government health advisors have recommended keeping schools and colleges open, despite the surge in coronavirus cases among youngsters, but do say restaurants and non-essential shops should shut once again at 5pm, sources have told broadcaster NOS. The Outbreak Management Team was asked for its advice ahead of Friday’s press conference, which has been brought forward by a week because of …

OMT experts say keep schools open but shut shops early: NOS
3 years ago

OMT experts say keep schools open but shut shops early: NOS

Dutch News  

Government health advisors have recommended keeping schools and colleges open, despite the surge in coronavirus cases among youngsters, but do say restaurants and non-essential shops should shut once again at 5pm, sources have told broadcaster NOS. The Outbreak Management Team was asked for its advice ahead of Friday’s press conference, which has been brought forward by a week because of …

Closing schools again unfairly punishes kids: School leaders
3 years, 1 month ago

Closing schools again unfairly punishes kids: School leaders

NL Times  

While closing schools may help reduce the number of coronavirus infections, it would be terribly unfair to the children, according to primary schools' organization PO-Raad. On Wednesday, the PO-Raad, secondary schools' organization VO-Raad, university association VSNU, and education union AOb called on the Cabinet to prioritize education staff for Covid-19 booster shots. Children's Ombudsman Margrite Kalverboer asked the Cabinet to …

Outbreak experts advised keeping schools open: report
3 years, 1 month ago

Outbreak experts advised keeping schools open: report

NL Times  

The Outbreak Management Team advised the Cabinet to keep all levels of education open, sources told NOS. While there are many coronavirus infections in schools, the OMT believes the government must do everything in its power to keep the schools open. The PO-Raad, the umbrella organization for primary schools, also urged the Cabinet to keep schools open. New infections have …

Maharashtra Health Dept Gives Nod to Reopening Schools But Not Before Vaccinating Kids
3 years, 1 month ago

Maharashtra Health Dept Gives Nod to Reopening Schools But Not Before Vaccinating Kids

News 18  

Even as demands by parents’ groups grow for the reopening of schools for all classes, the decision about it should be taken within a fortnight. This should happen within a fortnight,” Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope told CNN News18. But, he said that the health department has also added a rider that all children between the age group of 12 …

Prolonged School Closures Due to Covid-19 Pose Threat to Gender Equality: UNSECO
3 years, 1 month ago

Prolonged School Closures Due to Covid-19 Pose Threat to Gender Equality: UNSECO

News 18  

Educational disruption due to prolonged closure of schools across the globe will not only have alarming effects on learning loss but also poses threat to gender equality, a new study by UNESCO has pointed out. The global study titled ”When schools shut: Gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures” brings to the fore that girls and boys, young women, and men …

Attendance low as students stay home to care for younger siblings
3 years, 2 months ago

Attendance low as students stay home to care for younger siblings

The Hindu  

Many students in upper primary and high schools hailing from lower economic sections of society are not attending physical classes as they are busy taking care of their younger siblings while their parents are at work. There is a lot of damage done by the pandemic, but to prevent more damage, lower primary classes need to be reopened immediately,” he …

Schools need to be reopened in a phased manner with multi-layered Covid mitigation steps: ICMR study
3 years, 2 months ago

Schools need to be reopened in a phased manner with multi-layered Covid mitigation steps: ICMR study

India TV News  

The schools need to be reopened in a phased manner, suggested the Indian Council of Medical Research in its latest study. In the opinion piece that has synthesized scientific evidence from within India and abroad on the justification for reopening of schools, experts said knowing that COVID-19 transmission is an "over-dispersed" phenomenon, testing strategies in schools could serve as key …

Primary schools no longer have to send entire class home after Covid infection
3 years, 3 months ago

Primary schools no longer have to send entire class home after Covid infection

NL Times  

If a child in primary education turns out to have the coronavirus, their whole class no longer has to go home from Monday. However the council, which represents primary schools in the Netherlands, emphasized that schools must receive proper guidance from the GGD in determining who should and should not go home after an infection in the classroom. Over the …

How school closures have hurt our less fortunate students more
3 years, 3 months ago

How school closures have hurt our less fortunate students more

Live Mint  

With most Indian schools shut for the past year and a half, children from poor households, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, are rapidly forgetting what they had learned before the pandemic, new survey data suggests. Previous surveys during the pandemic have also reported learning setbacks, but the latest one comes at a time when children are preparing to advance two …

Don’t send school classes home over one coronavirus infection, says outbreak expert
3 years, 3 months ago

Don’t send school classes home over one coronavirus infection, says outbreak expert

NL Times  

The Outbreak Management Team advised the Ministry of Health to relax the coronavirus measures for primary education as of September 20. This new school year, the rule still applied that an entire classroom must stay home if one child tested positive for the coronavirus. The OMT stated that the Cabinet can responsibly announce around September 20 that from now on …

Vaccinate teachers, children to keep schools safe from Covid-19: WHO
3 years, 3 months ago

Vaccinate teachers, children to keep schools safe from Covid-19: WHO

India TV News  

As millions of children return to school for the new academic session, vaccinating teachers and other school staff against Covid-19 disease can help make schools a safe place against the infectious disease, the World Health Organisation and Unicef said on Monday. Children aged 12 years and above who have underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk of severe …

Malls Open, Social Gatherings Allowed, Time We Let Children Return to School
3 years, 3 months ago

Malls Open, Social Gatherings Allowed, Time We Let Children Return to School

News 18  

Schools have remained largely closed for 1.5 years even as adults go to work, malls, and social gatherings each time a wave recedes. If asked about opening schools, at one end of the spectrum are parents who say—“I am worried about the third wave targeting children” or “We worry about kids bringing infection home to elders” or the ultimate conversation-stopper …

How kids can stay safer at school despite Delta variant threat
3 years, 4 months ago

How kids can stay safer at school despite Delta variant threat

LA Times  

Despite the threats posed by the Delta variant, there are ways to enhance kids’ safety at school. “Vaccination of all eligible adults and students is the most important strategy for decreasing COVID-19 transmission in schools,” said Dr. Kate Connor, a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “The evidence is strongly supportive that universal masking in schools is one …

What are the risks of kids getting COVID-19 as schools reopen?
3 years, 4 months ago

What are the risks of kids getting COVID-19 as schools reopen?

LA Times  

Julie Silk works with her kindergarten students in the classroom at Jackson STEM Dual Language Magnet Academy in Altadena. Among the nation’s three most populous states, the rate for new daily pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 per 100,000 children in Florida is 1.28; in Texas, it’s 0.53; and in California, it’s 0.21. The best way to keep children safe, in schools …

School openings need to follow strict covid-19 guidelines
3 years, 4 months ago

School openings need to follow strict covid-19 guidelines

Live Mint  

School openings must be prioritised while maintaining proper health and hygiene, says World Health Organization's chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan. 1.5 billion children were suddenly out of school and it affecting their education, says Dr Donald Bundy" Earlier, on August 6, Dr Soumya Swaminathan had cautioned people against lowering their guard against the coronavirus and urged them to strictly follow …

Should schools be reopened? Data shows children least vulnerable to Covid
3 years, 4 months ago

Should schools be reopened? Data shows children least vulnerable to Covid

India Today  

The debate is contentious. Children, the data reveal, represented 14.2 per cent of all Covid cases and accounted for 1.3-3.6 per cent of total reported hospitalizations in the United States. In the pre-Covid year of 2019, 47 per cent children lacked access to education and/or health, which shot up to 56 per cent during the pandemic, according to UNICEF data. …

UNICEF, WHO chief scientist urge Govts across the world to prioritise reopening of schools
3 years, 5 months ago

UNICEF, WHO chief scientist urge Govts across the world to prioritise reopening of schools

Op India  

The UNICEF on Monday urged the decision-makers and governments to prioritize and plan for the safe reopening of schools. WHO Chief Scientist also urged for reopening of schools Soumya Swaminathan, the Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization furthered UNICEF’s appeal of reopening the schools. Quoting UNICEF’s Tweet, Swaminathan wrote, “With teachers & adults working in schools prioritized for vaccination …

Covid-19 child cases are again rising as schools gear up to reopen. But vaccines for the youngest are still months away
3 years, 5 months ago

Covid-19 child cases are again rising as schools gear up to reopen. But vaccines for the youngest are still months away

CNN  

CNN — New Covid-19 cases among children are back on the rise after months of declines, just as schools across the United States are gearing up to reopen in a few weeks. Video Ad Feedback Surgeon General on when he still wears a mask 02:59 - Source: CNN Vaccine data for youngest likely still months away It’s “very likely” data …

Coronavirus lockdowns mean home learning is back, but experts say it comes at a cost
3 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus lockdowns mean home learning is back, but experts say it comes at a cost

ABC  

India Kerr's first years in high school have not gone as expected. "If the cases are the lowest they can be in the community … the risk of a case becoming apparent in a school will decline," Professor Macartney said. A study from Sweden, where in 2020 lower-secondary schools stayed open but upper-secondary schools closed, found leaving schools open had …

Prioritising school reopening on the road to recovery
3 years, 5 months ago

Prioritising school reopening on the road to recovery

The Hindu  

Most schools in India have been closed since the national lockdown started in March 2020. A survey across 10 States in India in November 2020 estimated that nearly two-thirds of children in rural India may drop out of school, a staggering statistic which is likely to have worsened with continuing closure. Due to the shutdown of schools, mid-day meal schemes …

Can schools be reopened during the pandemic?
3 years, 5 months ago

Can schools be reopened during the pandemic?

The Hindu  

By the end of June 2021 over 150 million children in 19 countries were either attending virtual classes or had no schooling at all. It is known that 90% of infections among children remain asymptomatic or mild, and although the few children with severe disease will need hospital care, only 1-2% require intensive care unit management. Data over the past …

Maharashtra to Reopen Schools for Classes 8 to 12 from July 15
3 years, 5 months ago

Maharashtra to Reopen Schools for Classes 8 to 12 from July 15

News 18  

The Maharashtra government has announced to reopen the schools in areas where no COVID-19 cases have been reported over the last month. Minister of School Education Department Varsha Gaikwad has announced that the schools in those areas have been allowed to resume offline classes for students of Class 8 to 12 from July 15 onwards. Sharing a video message on …

No vaccines for young children, but schools can reopen safely in the fall, a study shows
3 years, 6 months ago

No vaccines for young children, but schools can reopen safely in the fall, a study shows

LA Times  

Students wear masks and sit at socially distanced desks at a school in Ramona, Calif. Over the course of 2,000 runs of their model elementary school with a relaxed approach to masking, social distancing and isolation, a single infected child was likely to spread the coronavirus to an average of 1.7 other children over 30 days, researchers found. With students …

Coronavirus has impacted on children worldwide, Dutch NGO says
3 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus has impacted on children worldwide, Dutch NGO says

Dutch News  

The Netherlands has risen one place to fifth in the annual KidsRights index, drawn up by global NGO Kids Rights Foundation which monitors how children’s rights are being respected and improved. The coronavirus pandemic has had a ‘devastating impact’ on children worldwide, the Netherlands-based foundation says. ‘With the ongoing global pandemic, we had to address the devastating impacts and outcomes …

Uttar Pradesh schools, coaching institutes closed till May 10 amid Covid-19 surge
3 years, 7 months ago

Uttar Pradesh schools, coaching institutes closed till May 10 amid Covid-19 surge

India Today  

The government of Uttar Pradesh has ordered the closure of all the schools and coaching centres in the state due to the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases across the state. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made the announcement on Twitter, and said, “In view of COVID-19, all schools from Class 1 to Class 12 will remain closed till May …

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