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A challenge that resulted in failure: less than 1% of private schools have returned to face-to-face classes

2021-03-04T02:43:28.261Z


Most of the teachers surveyed consider it "irresponsible" to return to the classroom due to the risk of contagion


Private schools in Mexico remained closed despite the call of the National Association of Private Schools to return to face-to-face classes.Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro

Alejandra Flores is not willing to take her children to school even if she has to continue paying their tuition.

"The situation due to the pandemic remains very delicate and I do not think that any father wants to expose his children or his family to contagion," says the mother of two children who attend a private school in the State of Mexico by phone.

In the middle of last year, he managed to negotiate a discount on tuition payments, and now pays 1,800 pesos a month (about $ 86) for each of his children, since his income has been reduced due to the health crisis caused by the pandemic. of coronavirus in the country.

The challenge launched by the National Association of Private Schools (ANEP) to the educational authorities to return to face-to-face classes on March 1 has resulted in failure.

According to figures from this organization, 348 private education institutes opened their doors, although only last week they declared that some 8,000 institutes, from preschool to graduate school, were ready to return to classes.

"The idea was that they began to open schools voluntarily like the parents," says Alfredo Villar, director of ANEP.

According to figures from the SEP, there are 46,675 private schools registered, so that less than 1% of the schools joined the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) for this challenge.

"It is an absolute irresponsibility to return to class," considers Claudia Rodríguez, director of a preschool in the Álvaro Obregón mayor's office in Mexico City.

"This association only seeks to sell protection or advice and confront the educational authorities," he says via text messages.

According to ANEP, at least a score of schools have resorted to legal protection to continue teaching classes, as did the select Humanitree school, owned by Ricardo Salinas Pliego.

The union of teachers and teachers of private education in Mexico is divided.

While some are cautious about returning to the classroom, others urgently seek to return to face-to-face lessons.

There are at least five organizations in the country that gang up teachers, parents and schools, and not all share the same opinion.

The National Confederation of Private Schools (CNEP), which groups some 3,500 schools in the country, is one of those organizations.

For María de Jesús Zamarripa Guardado, president of this organization, there is no rush to return to school.

"The educational setback that they say I do not know how they measure it, the students do not have a lag, they continue to learn from their homes," he says in an interview.

EL PAÍS made a tour of several private schools in Mexico City and none of them have received students in the last week.

The Educational Authority of the capital and the SEP recognized the efforts of the schools that have continued to teach classes at a distance.

"[The SEP] reiterated its call for the reopening of school institutions to be carried out in accordance with the epidemiological traffic light, and based on the instructions issued by both Health and Education authorities," said the agency.

For Zamarripa, there is an urgency from many parents who have seen their income reduced due to the contingency.

"Taking care of students at home and work at the same time is complicated, so we do not doubt that there are parents who consider this situation heavy," says the also religious.

For dissident teachers, having schools closed is a violation of students' basic rights.

"The president has said that it is forbidden to prohibit, that is why they cannot close us or fine us, we do not want confrontation, but to avoid delays of a year with schools closed," says Alfredo Villar, president of ANEP.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2021-03-04

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