A week after the return to face-to-face classes, the Teachers’ Association has criticized the protocol of the Ministry of Education, accusing that it does not take care of the different realities of the establishments, which do not all have the same security conditions. This is why, from the Government, they maintain that on special occasions dialogue may be used to find solutions in this regard, but that “the work is being done and will continue to be done at the level of each community and for this it is also important to remember the experience that our country has had”, expressed the head of the Mineduc.
in conversation with CNNChilethe Minister of Education, Raúl Figueroa, referred to the criticism, insisting that face-to-face attendance “must be the rule”.
“The work has been done with the communities and in this, as has happened on other occasions, the board of the Teachers’ College is a little disconnected from what happens in each school, with each teacher, who have done an enormous job”, pointed out.
Likewise, he pointed out the gradualness that has been taken in the process and that the measure is supported by large international entities such as UNICEF and UNESCO. Thus, he affirmed that all efforts are made so that attendance prevails “because it is what benefits the students the most, of course taking care of the health aspects that are also very strengthened in these protocols,” he said.
In addition, he stressed that before the imminent entrance to the schools he has the “political consensus” with the next Government. “We have a technical consensus for a long time, which indicates that we must return to classes with these conditions, but we lacked a political consensus. That consensus also exists today. The president-elect, Gabriel Boric, has been very clear in pointing out that schools must be open and I think that this also contributes to generating a common goal, for all of us to work so that this total presence, with all the security measures, is the general rule,” he said.
Within the same conversation, the minister spoke about the bilateral meetings between the outgoing ministers and those who will enter in March, highlighting that in their conversation the first guidelines were raised with his peer, the future head of Education, Marco Ávila, with whom He has spoken by phone and from whom he has received “public signals that are very interesting in this line of aiming for full face-to-face attendance,” he said.
“Both the president-elect and the new minister have said it very clearly and the protocols that have been drawn up together with all the experience that we have accumulated, of course they will be available to the new authorities so that they can give continuity to this important process”, he concluded.
