It's eleven o'clock in the morning on March 8, a Monday.
The teachers of the PO (*) school try to offer a normal environment to the boys and girls, aged four to six, who attend this public nursery school in São Paulo, a Brazilian city of 12 million inhabitants.
The students are few.
In one of the patios, an educator carefully observes three kids, all wearing masks, running and playing.
“They want to interact with each other, but we try to keep our distance.
We are always guiding them.
At least here they can run a bit ”, explains the woman.
PHOTO GALLERY |
Classes without students, students without classes
Located in the peripheral district of Guaianases, in the eastern part of the municipality, this educational center received 350 students before the COVID-19 in its classrooms, patios, play areas and dining rooms.
There were 10 groups, each with 35 students.
They are sons and daughters of an impoverished working class who have been left without face-to-face classes throughout a health crisis that has yet to end.
Of the 210 million Brazilians, more than 50 million are under 18 years of age and the majority have hardly had face-to-face activities in recent months.
Throughout the pandemic, the center maintained - and still maintains - virtual activities with male and female students, but there are those who do not have access to the internet.
In those cases, family members should come over, pick up the chores, and then bring them back.
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The school reopened its doors on February 15, fulfilling the determination of the mayor of São Paulo, Bruno Covas, to resume face-to-face classes.
The City Council authorized 35% of the students to return to classrooms, while the rest should continue with the activities virtually.
“There is a waiting list and the directors of each center have to choose who returns to the centers physically and who remains at home.
The priority is for the elderly, with siblings and in vulnerable situations, according to the rules.
Parents often disagree, so it is up to us to manage this conflict ”, explains Maria Aparecida da Silva (*), the director of the PO. One month after the reopening, the City Council again ordered the closure of the centers of teaching before the imminent collapse of the network of hospitals of the city and with the whole country touching the 3,000 daily deaths, its historical maximum.
They remain open only to feed their humblest students.
During the visit of EL PAÍS on March 8, the recreational classrooms of the schools were still closed because the City Council's protocol does not allow students to share toys.
Hallways that in the recent past were noisy and easily crowded were empty and lifeless.
On the floor the following message is read for family members and educators: “Together we are stronger.
Keep your distance while waiting in line ”.
In a classroom for 35 students there were only five, sitting on the floor, at a minimum distance of one and a half meters and with individual toys, following the rules.
“When class ends, everything must be sanitized.
It is a new situation to which we are still adjusting.
We must be very careful and attentive, ”says the teacher with an alcohol spray in her hands.
The teachers of this educational center in São Paulo are very vigilant that their students comply with all hygiene measures.
Click on the image to see the complete photogallery.Toni Pires
Outside, in one of the corridors, two teachers assist a young child.
One of them guides him to a water source.
The other escorts them with a bottle of alcohol.
The care required by the pandemic has duplicated any task, even the simplest.
But, despite the restrictions, students seem happy to return to face-to-face classes.
They needed at least a little human contact with their colleagues.
“With everything that is happening, it is very complicated.
My son missed school.
Now, every day there is something new ”, says Luciana, mother of Lorenzo, who is four years old.
Teachers' strike in São Paulo
Despite the clear benefits of going back to class, the return to face-to-face activities has been uneven and controversial.
Unequal because in private schools, where the sons and daughters of the highest classes are enrolled, between 70% and 100% of the students had already returned since the end of February.
In public centers the figures were below 20%.
And controversial because the teachers of the municipal schools of São Paulo for the most part did not feel safe.
Between February 15 and March 11, 784 cases of covid-19 were registered among students and workers in 344 schools
The municipality teachers union then declared a strike to which 60% of the professionals joined.
They demanded tests to detect covid-19 among teachers and students, priority in the vaccination program, structural works in the centers to improve the ventilation of the windows, expand corridors and bathrooms.
They also demanded better personal protective equipment and the hiring of more workers.
“When I started working here, there were 10 cleaning professionals.
Now there are three.
How can the hygiene rules of an entire building be met with only three professionals? ”Asks director Silva.
The authorities and experts who defend the reopening argue that the educational centers should be "the last to close the doors and the first to open them."
Italo Dutra, Unicef's Head of Education in Brazil, supports this motto.
"Children are the least infected by the coronavirus and science shows that it is possible, under various protocols, to safely resume classes," he argues.
However, Dutra acknowledges that the Ministry of Education and a large part of the State and Municipal Education Secretariats have not implemented measures and protocols to ensure safe return.
A month after the reopening, the São Paulo City Council again ordered the closure of the teaching centers due to the imminent collapse of the city's network of hospitals.
They remain open only to feed their humblest students.
Click on the image to see the complete photogallery.
Toni Pires
São Paulo closed its centers again on March 15.
They will be closed for at least 15 days, or until the current saturation of the hospitals is overcome.
The teachers' union has reported that, in the reopening period, from February 15 to March 11, 784 suspected or confirmed cases of covid-19 were registered among students and workers in 344 teaching centers.
Silva is among the professionals affected.
"On February 1 we started to prepare for the resumption of classes and I and my whole family got it," he says.
She was admitted to the ICU for a few days, but has recovered.
Now, he hopes the vaccination will be sped up so that the hallways, courtyards and classrooms of the school he runs will feel noisy and crowded again.
Your students cannot miss another year of school.
(*) The names of the school, educators and officials have been changed at their request to protect their identity.
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