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Back to School: The Promises in the Face of Reality Israel today

2021-08-29T21:00:53.400Z


An entire summer of discussions around the opening of the education system will reach the practical stage the day after tomorrow, with the opening of the school year • Many tasks the Corona Cabinet has placed at the door of the education system: some stood, but some failed miserably • Ministry of Education: Warranty


Promise 1: 

Perform 1.6 million serological tests to locate exempt students

Score:

Failed ☹

The goal of the Ministry of Education was to perform blood tests to detect antibodies to exempt a large proportion of students from isolation, in case they were exposed to a verified patient.

It was initially claimed that antibodies were expected to be found in about 30 percent of the students who would come to be tested, but the predictions were wrong - and the serological tests were significantly reduced and even stopped on some days.

The aim was to sample 1.6 million students, but the number of students sampled so far stands at only about 360,000 students, of whom about 36,000 received a positive result (10 percent of the respondents).

Every student is a world in its own right, but many health experts as well as mayors across the country have argued that the large investment does not justify itself so far.

If you add to all this the many failures that were discovered during the test operation around the country, such as huge queues in the scorching sun and a gathering called by parents "Corona Incubator" - it seems difficult not to define the move as a failure.

Promise 2:

Distribution of 1.9 million speed tests to detect corona among students and teachers, one day before the start of the school year

Score:

Good ☺

The Ministry of Education is requesting that 1.9 million students up to the age of 12 take tests before arriving at school on the first day, so that they become "green islands" without corona.

For the purpose of the operation, the logistics corps was recruited, which packed the tests with 2,500 soldiers at the IDF training base, and the tests are passed on by distribution companies to the schools.

The problem is that so far not all schools have received all the assessments.

On top of that, because of the short and crowded schedule, even when the shipments arrive, it is not certain that the parents will actually arrive to pick them up.

Another serious challenge is 20,000 kindergartens - where distribution needs to be done by the local authority.

In some cities the tests have not yet reached the gardens.

However, we will mention that performing the tests is not a condition for the student to enter the educational institution.

Mayor of Or Yehuda, Liat Shochat, with her daughter Lior, who is in the first grade // Photo: Yossi Zeliger,

Promise 3: The

"green character" outline will also apply to teaching staff in kindergartens and schools

Score:

Good ☺

The Corona Cabinet has confirmed that the green label will also apply to teaching staff in schools and kindergartens to prevent unvaccinated teachers and defenders from endangering children.

This means that 37,000 unvaccinated teaching staff will not be able to enter the classroom - and will have to present an up-to-date corona test for the last 84 hours.

This step is accompanied by two main problems: The first is that teachers require only two tests a week (every 84 hours), while in the whole economy the rapid tests are valid for only 24 hours.

Thus, valuable time may elapse until a teacher is found to be infected with corona.

The second problem - it was not decided who would bear the costs of the teachers' quick tests, which should be done in a regulated place (ie not a home test).

This is an amount that may amount to about NIS 15 million a month.

Promise 4:

The "green class" model that will reduce students' isolation days

Score:

Failed ☹

The pilot of the Ministry of Health and Education is currently running lazily.

According to the model, a student exposed to a verified patient in the classroom will not go into isolation, but will continue to come to school subject to performing a corona test daily, for a week.

Only if one of the results is positive - the student will be sent home, and the rest of the students will continue to study as usual subject to performing the daily test.

The Ministry of Education started the pilot about two weeks ago in only two ultra-Orthodox schools, but in contrast to the way the pilot should be conducted - it failed to keep the schools open, and in almost all age groups students switched to distance learning.

It is not clear why the pilot did not start more widely, but the morbidity data in schools in the ultra-Orthodox sector, which have already started operating, show that it will be very difficult to keep schools open.

The pilot will also be extended in September to schools in Arab society (which do not go on holiday on Tishrei).

The pilot is significant for the purpose of making decisions regarding the shortening of isolation days in the entire education system.

Promise 5:

Appointment of "Corona Trustees" in 5,000 schools

Score:

Enough ✌

The Ministry of Education has announced that a "faithful Corona" will be appointed at each school.

His job will be to prevent the spread of the disease while maintaining guidelines (hygiene and lifestyle), managing and performing rapid tests, and in general - whenever a verified patient is found or a test vehicle arrives, he will have to manage the incident and assist in epidemiological investigations.

But during this, there are two main problems: The first - despite the chaos that is expected in the first days of school, the Corona trustees have not yet been recruited and they will only take up their duties in October.

The second problem is that the budget approved for their employment is for only three months - meaning they are supposed to be employed in the system only until December 31st.

The salary for the position will be NIS 7,500 per month, and among the characteristics needed for the Corona trustee are the ability to withstand stressful situations, patience and discretion - that is, maintaining the students' privacy.

In addition, the trustee will be required to present a certificate of integrity, and confirmation of the absence of sexual offenses from the Israel Police.

Promise 6:

Increasing the number of vaccinated students

Score:

Good ☺

As part of an effort to keep post-primary schools open, cabinet members have tried to bring about the rapid immunization of students aged 12 and over.

To pressure students and parents to get vaccinated, a dramatic decision has been made that eighth-twelfth graders in red cities will learn from home online if the number of vaccinated students is less than 70 percent.

The data indicate a significant increase in the volume of vaccines for adolescents: for example, about a month ago, on July 27, the number of vaccinated students in the first dose at the age of 15-12 stood at 30 percent - and now stands at 44.6 percent.

However, it is worth noting that a student is considered vaccinated only one week after receiving the second vaccine, meaning that even those who have been vaccinated in the last two weeks will not necessarily be able to return to frontal learning.

A major challenge in this regard will be the outline of vaccinations during school hours, which has not yet been finalized.

Promise 7:

As part of the "Magen Hinuch" program, initiated tests for students will be performed once a week in orange and red localities, to detect disease early.

Score:

Enough ✌

The list of cities with a high morbidity rate is getting longer - and currently numbers 150 orange and red cities.

This means that in order to implement the move, hundreds of vehicles will be required for Corona tests.

This is a complex procedure, as it begins with collecting corona tests, a saving method in which all students' test tubes are tested in the same test tube, and if evidence of infection is found, a sample is again collected from each student and tested individually to know who the patient is.

The problem is that the Ministries of Health and Education have not presented a plan that manages to cope with a huge scale of tests.

Former Director General of the Ministry of Education, Amit Edri, referred to the previous school year and said in an interview with "Israel Today" over the weekend: .

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2021-08-29

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