Return to Distance Education | A necessary evil, according to experts and unions

Quebec students will have to study behind their screens again until January 17. An “acceptable” measure, according to an expert, which will allow the school environment to adapt to be safer when it comes time to return to class.

Lila Dussault
Press

“I want to tell you that we will do everything to reopen the schools on January 17, and that these are the first establishments that we will reopen,” said the Prime Minister at a press conference Thursday. “This is really the priority, above all. ”

According to Roxane Borgès Da Silva, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal, this decision is acceptable. “Especially since we know that 50% of outbreaks were in school settings when we left them in December,” she says. But that will have an effect on the current generations, which we will measure in the longer term. ”

The postponement of the start of the school year is also welcomed by Kathleen Legault, president of the Montreal Association of School Managers. “I think the conditions were not met for a return to this date [le 10 janvier], and we will see for the 17th, because it may have to be reassessed, ”she said in an interview with Press following the Prime Minister’s speech.

“The government, in the school network, lacks anticipation,” said Sylvain Mallette, president of the Autonomous Federation of Education. “We had indications that the Omicron variant was more contagious, and there, we are still asking the network [scolaire] to adapt. ”

Remember that all school levels, from elementary to university, are affected by this new measure. The learning activities will however resume virtually, in accordance with the school calendar.

In addition, school daycare services will remain open “for parents who really need it, prioritizing essential workers,” said a statement from the Government of Quebec released on Thursday.

Prepare the return

This extra week will support better preparation for returning to class, according to Kathleen Legault. “It will allow more school personnel to get the third dose,” she explains. And that will perhaps make it possible to distribute the famous N95 masks, which we are told more and more about. ”

The issue of ventilation in schools is also at the heart of discussions on the safety of school environments.

The more widespread offer and use of rapid tests before going back to school would also be a solution to curb the spread, says Kathleen Legault. “It would be very facilitating in our schools. ”

“We have a lot of questions about ventilation, about N95 masks,” said Éric Gingras, president of the Centrale des unions du Québec, to which the Federation of teaching unions is affiliated. ” […] We’re going to want to sit down and see how we can get back to safety. ”

School isolation

Children, families and even society in general suffer the consequences of school isolation, recalls Mr.^me Borges Da Silva. “It is always the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people who will suffer the most,” she says.

“Some of our students suffer the effects of poverty”, also explains Sylvain Mallette, of the Autonomous Federation of Education. “They come from underprivileged backgrounds, they don’t have access to internet connections, for example. When students visit schools, they have access to specialized services, which is not the case remotely. ”

However, the computer equipment was not fully distributed before the holidays, says Mallette. “How is it that we do not anticipate much when there are elements over which we have control? ”

Concern for specialized schools

An exception to the new government directive concerns special schools which, for example, support children with disabilities. In their case, the start of the school year will start next week.

“It creates a lot of concern, because these students often cannot wear a mask,” laments Kathleen Legault. According to her, health protocols have not been updated for students and teachers in these schools.

“We would have liked, at a minimum, that we postpone this return to school for just two days,” she explains. To make sure everything is set up and the staff are there. ”