Penelope Canonico
05/04/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 05/04/2021 6:00 AM
March and reverse.
The political fight for
education
between the City and the Nation, in front of the DNU that closed the schools in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, continues in the hands of the Courts, pending the ruling of the
Supreme Court of Justice.
Until then, the opposing positions are also replicated among families and educational institutions, mired in uncertainty.
The
bimodality
scheme
announced by the head of the Buenos Aires government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, to reduce the attendance of adolescents by half, supposedly began to be implemented this Monday at the
secondary level
(mostly, maternal, initial, primary and special education maintain 100% of presence).
But for many schools
it was not a new format
because they already had it incorporated into their pedagogical plans.
For others, it meant changes.
Beyond the announcements and partisan contests, what is the reality within educational institutions?
Although each establishment has a
margin of autonomy
to define how to organize itself, the proposal contemplates that every other week there will be virtual lessons, tasks and activities at home until normal school can be restored.
Bimodality in high school.
Although it was presented as a novelty, there were already many secondary schools that operated with this edschema.
Photo: Federico López Claro
It is decided by each school
Nothing changed
for María José's eldest son
.
The school year began coexisting between a face-to-face format and a virtual one.
This is the case of ORT Montañeses where the courses are divided
by bubbles.
Participates as half the
face
and the other from home and the next week exchange modalities.
"In any case, many
went virtual when the
suspected or confirmed case
protocol was activated
, so it is something that has been done from the beginning as well (even in schools that had full presence)," he highlights.
In the ET N9 Huergo School, the bimodal scheme is also familiar.
There is only presence in Physical Education classes (once a month against shift) and in workshops whose hours of study were not increased.
The rest of the classes are taught by classroom.
“The funny thing is that the bubbles of 12 students remain in virtuality.
In theory, it is to avoid reorganizing the scheme in case of having to return to full presence ”, says a mother.
"In accordance with current health regulations between May 3 and 21, there will be face-to-face classes, as up to now, in workshop spaces, laboratories, professional practices and physical education.
The rest of the subjects will be
taught
remotely ”
, the teaching direction communicated on the networks.
Divergent picture
On the other hand, for some private individuals the new alternation scheme represents a novelty.
Either because they had a full-time job (since enrollment is low) or a higher face-to-face load.
For example, in a school in Belgrano they began to implement an
alternate day scheme
: in person on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In a public school in Villa Crespo,
the double shift was adjusted to a simple one with grades divided into two shifts
, that is, half attend 4 hours in the morning and the other 4 hours in the afternoon.
While in an educational establishment in Palermo they maintain the double
shift
with
a zoom in the counter shift.
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A report from the Ombudsman's Office of the City on 257 public schools maintains that in 54% of them there are accumulations in their income and in 30% social distancing is not fulfilled.
It also explains that in 23% of the schools there are not the minimum and adequate
outdoor spaces.
At the same time, it highlights that the structural problems of the schools, prior to the pandemic, also prevent the proper functioning of the protocol. It is emphasized that in 65% of the schools infrastructure and / or service provision works were not carried out to improve the building condition and
adapt the establishment to the current health situation
(21% have accessibility problems and 23% there are not enough and adequate outdoor spaces). Regarding services, drawbacks with Internet access stand out.
“It is evident that presence is sustained with responsibility and investment.
For it to work, you have to hire more teachers and prevent them from participating in different bubbles.
A sixth and seventh grade teacher cannot be circulating in 4 groups.
It is not about opening schools as an
electoral workhorse,
but about guaranteeing access to quality education, ”says the mother of a sixth-grade student.
On the other hand, there are those public schools that disagree with the presence and informed parents that they
will apply complete remote education
until the bimodal scheme can be reorganized.
Or those in which the parents themselves decided not to send their children to classes.
In the public establishment Comercio 1 DE 4 de Barracas, the modality remains without major changes.
The students
were always in bimodality.
“It is a real work overload in the midst of a presence that does not work due to constant punctured bubbles or group rotation.
In addition, the protocols are inapplicable due to the lack of budget.
We need
to be vaccinated and delivered devices with connectivity
to students and teachers.
At the same time, we have to work virtually with dispensed students and those who owe last year's courses ”, describes Alejandro Ferré, history teacher.
Meanwhile, the controversy remains open with parents applauding the
opening of schools
and others collecting signatures to request that their children attend class virtually.
SC
Look also
Coronavirus: ten questions to an expert to know where the country stands and what could happen
Face-to-face classes: the City awaits a favorable ruling and seeks to lower tension with the Government
