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No student, nowhere: School in lockdown (in Straubing, archive picture)
Photo: Armin Weigel / dpa
The recommendations of the scientists are clear: From next Monday, compulsory schooling should be temporarily lifted across Germany, writes the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in an ad hoc statement.
In addition, the experts advocate uniform country rules for alternate teaching in secondary schools from January.
The reaction of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) is just as clear: In view of the high number of infections, it should not be considered "again first" to close schools or leave pupils at home if possible, said KMK President Stefanie Hubig (SPD) .
And repeated the mantra of the ministers of education: "The schools are not the hotspots and not the drivers of the pandemic."
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Karin Prien (CDU), Minister of Education in Schleswig-Holstein, also emphasizes this.
She was “surprised, not just in view of the more open shopping malls” because of the Leopoldina recommendation.
Their fear: "Abolishing compulsory schooling would mean that thousands of students would come together in the shopping arcades or privately and the high hygiene standards of schools would certainly not apply." According to Prien, "there is a right to education, but no right to mulled wine! "
Conflicting strategies
The Leopoldina recommendations for schools include three main points:
Abolition of compulsory schooling
from December 14th - de facto, December 11th would be the last compulsory school day before the Christmas holidays.
Parents could then decide for themselves whether their children go to school.
A
nationwide uniform limit
for the number of infections, which then automatically leads to alternating lessons with divided classes, namely at the secondary schools in all federal states according to the same criteria.
A
mask requirement in class
for all children and adolescents in all grades.
The Leopoldina justifies its demands with the high number of daily deaths and the currently enormous burden on medical staff in hospitals.
The strategies of the countries are currently contradicting one another.
Saxony's
Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU)
announced
a tough lockdown for his state from next Monday - including the closure of schools, daycare centers and after-school care centers.
This should apply until January 10th.
In
Bavaria
, the disaster should apply from Wednesday, for the pupils from grade eight, alternating lessons were ordered.
In more than 20 cities and districts that have been particularly hard hit, older students only have distance learning.
"Not helpful"
North Rhine-Westphalia's
day-care centers and schools, on the other hand, should remain open despite the high number of infections.
With him there will be no area-wide closings, said Family Minister Joachim Stamp (FDP).
He dealt at the same time against Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder.
He had named a significant reduction in childcare times in daycare centers as an option.
Söder's approach to questioning the jointly agreed-upon keeping the educational institutions open is "not helpful," said Stamp.
In order not to gamble away trust in politics, the resolutions announced should "not be thrown overboard again after three or four days."
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A piece of advice that may also be
aimed
at
Baden-Württemberg
.
At the end of November, Angela Merkel and the Prime Ministers had agreed to let the Christmas holidays begin on December 21.
But the green-black state government deviated from it: Now the schools do not close until December 23, as the original holiday plan also intended.
Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) defended the turnaround: after all, care must be provided for the children of those who absolutely have to work.
Teachers' associations had sharply criticized the back and forth of the state government, whereupon Kretschmann rumbled back in the »Südkurier«: »We didn't take the holidays for the teachers so that they now have two additional days.«
The Chancellor's squats
Meanwhile, SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach renewed his call for a significant extension of the Christmas holidays on Tuesday.
"We have to act quickly, the situation is serious," Lauterbach told the Rheinische Post.
"We should send the schools four weeks into the Christmas break, ideally within the next week and then up to and including the first week of January."
And Angela Merkel?
The Chancellor has also joined the debate - with tips on how schoolchildren can keep warm in well-ventilated classrooms during the corona crisis.
"Maybe you do a little squat or clap your hands," said Merkel in an interview with the radio station "Radyo Metropol FM".
But everyone should decide for themselves.
In addition, children and young people may need to bring something warmer to wear.
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with material from dpa