Soon KMK President Karin Prien – That is why schools must remain open – domestic politics

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“Face-to-face learning has the highest priority”: This is the clear message from the Presidium of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) in the video switching conference on Thursday.

With the exception of Thuringia, this applies in all federal states after the Christmas holidays Compulsory attendance for students from Monday. The future KMK President Karin Prien (56, CDU) to BILD: “The schools should be the last thing that will be closed again across the board.”

▶ ︎ But there is great uncertainty among parents, students and teachers. Reason: the concern about an infection with the mega-contagious omicron virus variant and the unclear situation of the corona incidence after the holidays. The education ministers are not deterred by this, only Thuringia relies on distance teaching at the start of school.

Udo Beckmann (69), Chairman of the Association for Education and Upbringing (VBE) fears that this strategy could prove to be a boomerang. “That ends with the greatest possible damage, namely the closing of all schools”, the retired teacher told the “Tagesspiegel”, who also quotes OECD Education Director Andreas Schleicher (57) with criticism of the policy: “The lack of a medium-term takes revenge Strategy, it’s always about bridging solutions. “

When it comes to the question of school openings, the federal and state governments are currently continuing to drive “on sight”. Next Wednesday (January 5), the ministers of education want to consult again, as a spokesman announced on Thursday. Until then, everything will stay the same as before.

The designated KMK President Karin Prien, Education Minister of Schleswig-Holstein (where the school starts on January 10th) also gives legal reasons for this. To BILD she said: “The Infection Protection Act does not contain any legal basis for nationwide school closings. This also applies to the judgment of the Constitutional Court from November. “

Photo: Marcus Brandt / dpa

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The designated KMK President Karin Prien is Education Minister of Schleswig-HolsteinPhoto: Marcus Brandt / dpa

In her opinion, this is also responsible, says Prien: “The vaccination rate among teachers is very high and more and more schoolchildren are vaccinated. In Schleswig-Holstein we vaccinated more than 70 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds. ”And:“ There are strict hygiene rules and an intensive test regime in schools. The state governments and health authorities are observing the development very closely. ”

Therefore, according to the KMK regulation, the following generally applies: “Alternating or distance teaching is only possible regionally in individual cases when there is a corresponding infection rate as a last resort, but not nationwide.”

“Mixed” mood among the students

The example of Thuringia shows that there is another way: classes there also start on Monday, but according to the Ministry of Education’s plan, the students should stay at home for the first two days and first repeat what they have learned from before Christmas – time for school administrators and authorities to get an overview of cases of illness.

The mood among the students was “mixed”, said the spokesman for the Brandenburg State Student Council, Jeremy Hans (16), opposite BILD: “On the one hand, it is important for us that we can maintain face-to-face teaching. On the other hand, many are afraid of infection themselves, of a severe course or of the virus being passed on to family members. ”

The student at the Spree-Oberschule Fürstenwalde also criticizes the authorities and politics: “We urgently need an emergency plan with clear instructions from the Ministry of Education. It should have been worked out after the first lockdown, but it still doesn’t exist today. ”In addition, there is a lack of air filter systems and digital equipment:“ It just takes far too long. ”

► Not only student representatives call for a “Plan B”. Nicolas Colsman (29), managing director of the non-profit organization Zukunft Digitale Bildung, on BILD: “Because of the highly contagious Omikron variant, returning to distance learning must be a realistic option again.” However, school closings should be “the last option” and be organized nationwide : “Closing schools indiscriminately would have disastrous effects.”

For Colsman, the lack of an emergency plan is already a serious problem: “For teachers, the chaotic, confusing situation is the worst that could happen.” He demands: “The schools now need clarity – and rather a somewhat overcautious plan than a long one to hang in the air. “

How controversial the subject of face-to-face teaching is in view of the Omikron threat is shown by the special route taken by Thuringia: The Weimar Higher Administrative Court is currently having to deal with complaints from both sides: There are both applications against nationwide distance teaching at the start of school and against face-to-face teaching . The judges in Thuringia will now decide how the lessons will actually start on Monday.

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