Corona virus: are we all already infected?

It doesn't matter now, does it?

Sooner or later we will all be infected with Omicron anyway.

#Insemination is the corresponding hashtag on Twitter, under which parents and teachers are venting their frustration at the fact that many federal states are sticking to compulsory attendance.

Because the omicron variant of the coronavirus can also cause severe symptoms in unvaccinated children and adolescents.

This is shown by the hospitalization figures for under-fives, which have increased in many countries.

Long-term corona effects are less common in children and adolescents than in adults.

But there is still a lack of meaningful data on how many of them actually remain permanently ill after a corona infection.

Nevertheless, there is much to be said for not suspending compulsory attendance.

Not every family can afford homeschooling.

Orderly everyday life, as long as it is still orderly, is important for many children - if you drop compulsory attendance, education can no longer be fair.

Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger thinks so too (»That's going on«).

You see: Corona is still the number one topic in the educational landscape.

I would therefore now like to say goodbye to longer winter, Easter and summer holidays.

And when I'm back, Corona will be over.

Deal?

Kristin Haug

for the SPIEGEL education team

Feedback & Suggestions?

That's going on

1.1.

Pupils feel overlooked in the pandemic

Under the hashtag #wiruldloud, young people are protesting against corona management in Germany's schools on social networks.

They feel ignored, overlooked and let down by those in charge.

My colleague Miriam Olbrisch spoke to the student representatives Johanna Börgermann, 19, and Laura Körner, 18.

Among other things, they demand regular PCR tests for all schoolchildren, compulsory education instead of compulsory attendance and better digital equipment in schools.

1.2.

Frida thinks many corona rules are nonsense

In the »Süddeutsche Zeitung«, nine-year-old Frida from Mainz summed up what really annoys her: »Actually, I think corona rules are important.

But many are also nonsense: We have to have breakfast outside and still keep a lot of distance.

At noon we have to take off our jackets with the windows open – the carers are allowed to leave theirs on.

When it comes to homework supervision, the classes are divided, otherwise not.

The soap is constantly empty.

And two children were yelled at for hugging in the playground without a mask.

Nasty!«

2. Federal Education Minister Stark-Watzinger wants less bureaucracy for schools

Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) has been in charge of the Federal Ministry of Education for a few weeks.

She doesn't believe in abolishing compulsory attendance.

In the SPIEGEL interview, she says: »Children from socially disadvantaged families have suffered significantly more from the pandemic than children from better-off households.

We should learn from that.

Compulsory attendance is a very valuable asset.

We have to do everything we can to keep the schools open.« This should be made possible by air filters, which are needed at least »where it is difficult to ventilate«.

Stark-Watzinger wants to remove bureaucratic hurdles for this and for digitization in schools.

»I want the individual schools to become more independent: their own budget, less bureaucracy, more autonomy.«

And anything else?

1. Abuse at a Jewish boarding school in France

In an ultra-Orthodox Jewish boarding school in Bussières, near Paris, the judiciary is investigating several employees of the facility.

They are said to have done violence to the students and neglected them.

French media reports that the children and young people, who are said to come mainly from Israel and the USA, were probably housed under unacceptable hygienic conditions.

Apparently, the students had their passports and cell phones taken away.

A former student told the broadcaster i24 News that he felt like he was part of some kind of sect.

There was an atmosphere of “psychological violence”.

“The first thing they did when I arrived was my passport.

It was strictly forbidden to leave the school.” Last summer, a student is said to have fled and sought help from the US embassy.

In the meantime, 42 students are said to be housed in another boarding school or back with their parents.

2. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution confirms a connection between

»

«

For several months, 15 children were taught at an illegal school on the premises of the Königsmühle near the Eltersdorf district of Erlangen.

The government of Middle Franconia closed the school at the end of January.

The Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution has now confirmed connections between those involved in the illegal school and the "Reichsbürger" scene, as reported by Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Good to know

You can earn money with insects: Niclas Ochonski keeps around 10,000 ants in the basement of his parents' house in Kassel.

The 17-year-old student has been selling the insects on the Internet for three years.

In addition to ant colonies from almost every continent, Ochonski also offers terrariums, nests and arenas where the ants can get food and dispose of waste.

Most of the accessories are made by the student using a 3D printer.

"This gives me more control over my products and I can respond better to individual customer requests," the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" quoted him as saying.

With several hundred orders, Ochonski made sales of more than 6,000 euros in 2020.

The most expensive ant he has sold so far has been the Myrmecia pyriformis, also known as the bulldog ant.

Ochonski says he received 1,500 euros for the specimen.

number of the week

The state spends an average of 8,500 euros on the education of students at public schools.

Berlin invested the most with 12,300 euros per student, North Rhine-Westphalia the least with 7,500.

The next newsletter will be out on February 21st.

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