The universities, new sources of transmission of Covid-19 in power?
While some of the students have not yet resumed classes, "more than a dozen clusters within institutions" have already been identified, indicated the Minister of Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal, in a statement. press release issued Sunday evening.
The engineering school "Télécom Physique Strasbourg", south of Strasbourg, even announced this Monday to close its doors for 10 days after the survey of 50 positive cases this weekend.
In addition to Strasbourg, forty-three positive students were also detected in Rennes, a hundred in Lille, more than twenty in Nantes ... Frédérique Vidal believes that this multiplication of cases "is mainly linked to private gatherings (student parties, privatization of bars ...) ) associated with a relaxation of health instructions, in particular barrier gestures ”.
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"Many associations are ready to organize outdoor events, but everything is refused to us because the universities do not want to take responsibility", annoys Titouan Martin Barré, master's student in Sports Management and Strategy at the university Lille-1 and secretary general of the Federation of general student associations (Fage).
"A dream place for the spread of the virus"
In Nantes and Rennes, it was evenings between medical students that would have generated all these contaminations.
"It is common knowledge that certain specialties have a little more lively reunion habits than others," laughs a teacher, referring to the particularly festive evenings in medical studies.
With the possibility (and the fear) that this will spread to other sectors.
"There is a very important mix of students, so it's obvious that campuses are a dream place for the spread of the virus", judge Yann Le Cunff, lecturer in biostatistics at the University of Rennes-1, who alternates between the two campuses of the site.
But it is now also the holding of courses that worries.
If the protocol provides, "as far as possible", a seat away from the benches, the testimonies of crowded amphis with students forced to sit on the steps multiply.
At @ SorbonneParis1, no social distancing because "in the metro, there is none either".
Result: 500 people in the Richelieu lecture hall, seated on the stairs.
In times of pandemic, the breakage of higher education and the lack of resources turn out to be criminal 😡 pic.twitter.com/sDOY4kELWp
- Le Poing Levé Paris 1 (@LevePoing) September 9, 2020
“The lecture halls are full.
In my first class, there was not a single seat left and some were on the floor ", testifies Guillaume Beaussonie, professor of private law at Toulouse 1." And these rooms are often in the middle of buildings, with doors but no windows, so it's difficult to ventilate them, ”he adds.
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“It's complicated to find lecture halls that fully respect sanitary standards and physical distancing, especially since the windows open very little.
In addition, we are sometimes obliged to occupy rooms that we are not used to using, and we can have surprises when they are not sized, ”adds Yann Le Cunff, lecturer in biostatistics at the University of Rennes-1.
Poor quality masks?
On social networks, there are also many photos of corridors or common areas where dozens of students wait, standing and crowded.
“The university did what it could, with signs on the ground to avoid shuffling in all directions.
But there is not enough room, especially at the end of the course, and this is clearly a problem, ”said Tony, a first year law student at Toulouse 1.
Info mode:
We talked about schools, businesses, but never universities.
Insufficient means for distance learning courses, a too light protocol, physical distancing not respected.
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Here's the reality ⤵️ # BalanceTaFac pic.twitter.com/FLgVPxkw1f
- Eric Billy 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@EricBillyFR) September 13, 2020
Wearing a compulsory mask is generally well respected within universities, but is it effective for all that?
Universities do not have to provide free distribution.
However, "students will have one or two reusable masks per week, but they will not necessarily be able to wash it every day if they do not have a machine and for budget reasons", develops Titouan Martin Barré.
Suddenly, some protections would be worn or even ineffective.
"We need masks for all, free and of good quality, the establishment of screening centers in each university and transparency on positive cases", list for his part Léo Valadim, student at Paris 8 and member of the leadership of the NPA (New Anti-Capitalist Party) Youth.
To remedy this, some universities have already set up some distance learning courses.
In Nanterre, for example, only half of the students will be able to be present on campus every day, from the start of the school year scheduled for September 21.
"To be honest, I told my students that they could not come and I will try to record my lessons in audio," says Guillaume Beaussonie, from Toulouse.
Record success in the bac
Because teachers must then adapt and reorganize their teaching.
“Distance education requires a review of the way of teaching and, unfortunately, we teachers do not have this time to adapt.
And from the students' point of view, we know that some would be in great difficulty, ”points out Yann Le Cunff.
At school and college last May and June, precarious families already felt aggrieved by the classroom at home.
The ministry is launching this Monday a new series of consultations with "all the actors of higher education in order to work on solutions" to avoid too big consequences on the academic year.
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Especially since all these difficulties are accentuated by a record number of first year students.
With record success rate in the bac (95.7% after catching up), record level of enrollment in higher education.
Something to worry about Yann Le Cunff: “We have a massive influx of new baccalaureate graduates and we know that the failure and dropout rate is very high in the first year.
With Covid-19 and the possible establishment of distance learning courses, we have an explosive cocktail to reach record levels this year ”.
