The new school year will start on September 13 in Romania, with in-person classes in localities where the 14-day COVID-19 incidence rate stays below six per thousand inhabitants, president Klaus Iohannis announced on Thursday, August 26. If this threshold is exceeded, the schools go online in that locality.

In this context, the president called on the parents and school staff to get vaccinated, to keep the children safe and "to show that we really care about the school and children's future."

"Unfortunately, the school will start for the second consecutive year under the pandemic shadow. Last year's experience showed us that it is particularly important for the educational process to take place as much as possible with a physical presence, of course, in conditions of increased health safety, both for students and teachers," Iohannis said on Thursday.

"Limited access to education has significant negative effects primarily for the younger generations, deprived of a normal development both in terms of skills training and in terms of human interaction. […] The experience of the first year of pandemic showed unequivocally that online education could not replace the in-person, classic form of education entirely. At most, it can be a temporary solution when the epidemiological situation is particularly serious. Therefore, the goal of ensuring a quality education for as many students as possible remains a zero priority, although the health crisis is not over yet," he added.

According to the president, schools will start with in-person classes on September 13, but only if the infection rate stays below six per thousand inhabitants. Plus, the students and school staff will be required to wear masks and keep a certain distance from each other.

"Compared to last year, however, we have at our disposal an essential tool, which can offer us the guarantee that kindergartens, schools and universities will function normally. Anti-COVID vaccination is the only effective solution to increase the safety of pupils, students and teachers, to ensure that they return to the classrooms in as many numbers as possible and for as long as possible," Klaus Iohannis said.

He also asked the Ministries of Health and Education, as well as the local authorities, to work together to make sure that "all possible measures to ensure the safety of children and teachers are implemented quickly and as a matter of priority."

He made the statements after a working meeting with the ministers of health and education focused on the start of the new school year and the preparation of the health system for the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)