The president of the College of Teachers of the Metropolitan region, mario aguilarreferred to the statements of the Minister of Education, Marco Antonio Avilaabout the time that schools closed due to the pandemic lasted.
“I think that we were indeed wrong. The lack of socialization for two years was very serious, it affected it. That is why we opted for face-to-face attendance. The President (borik) has said it: schools are the first to open and the last to close,” said the head of the Ministry of Education in Cooperative Radio.
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Given these words, the leader of the teachers of the Metropolitan region expressed that “the Minister of Education is wrong in stating that it was a mistake to keep the schools closed during the pandemic, and the Minister is wrong because undoubtedly that was a measure that the parents and guardians in defense of the life and health of their children”.
In addition, Aguilar added that during the previous administration, former Minister Figueroa tried to return to face-to-face attendance during 2020 when the pandemic was at its worst. “It would have been a health disaster, because the schools were not prepared for normal face-to-face classes,” he said.
“Therefore, the suspension of classes was not a mistake, we school communities were very good when at the time we demanded, we opposed and resisted the imposition of Piñera who wanted to return to classes as it led,” he pointed out.
Although at present, the union president agrees that “schools should be the first to open and the last to close” as long as the conditions are right.
“Therefore it is a mistake, minister, and I think you are wrong to compare the situation in Europe, because reality is telling us today that undoubtedly, in Chile, the conditions of educational establishments are not up to what the boys and girls deserve to be able to return to face-to-face attendance and that has been demonstrated throughout the month of March,” he explained.
Violence in establishments
The Secretary of State also addressed the episodes of violence suffered by educational establishments in the return to attendance. “The situation is multicausal, it has not only been the pandemic, there are elements of more structural violence,” Ávila said.
Aguilar also expressed his opinion, pointing out that “the problem of school violence must be analyzed in depth, comprehensively and not assume that it has to do with a specific situation. On the other hand, Mr. Minister, we also warn you that the system must resume face-to-face, but gradually, cautiously, to prepare the conditions well, prepare the students “.
“But also that the infrastructure and the sanitary conditions of the schools are adequate and in that we are quite far, therefore the emphasis must be placed there, rather than making evaluations that in my opinion are absolutely wrong,” said the president. of the College of Teachers.
