Corona lockdown after New Year's Eve?

Education minister is already talking about school closings

Created: 12/24/2021, 06:11 AM

From: Andreas Schmid

Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) can imagine school closings because of the Omikron variant.

© Michael Kappeller / dpa

Distance learning again soon?

"We have to prepare ourselves for the fact that schools might have to be closed," says Education Minister Stark-Watzinger.

• The federal and state governments have tightened the corona measures again *.

• From December 28th, stricter rules will apply nationwide.

• Further adjustments are already being discussed.

  Will schools be closed?

• This pandemic policy news ticker is continuously updated.

Berlin - Germany's schools are going into the Christmas vacation.

Whether the children will return to class at the beginning of January, however, currently seems questionable.

The new education minister is already talking about alternating lessons and school closings.

Corona lockdown for schools again soon?

Education minister is already talking about distance learning

Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger calls for preparation for a new situation in schools. One must "take precautions for the education sector, if Omikron gets bad," said the FDP politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. The new Coronavirus variant Omikron is already prevalent in countries like Great Britain. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expects "a big, fast wave" of new infections at the turn of the year. What does this mean for the more than ten million schoolchildren in Germany?

An unrestricted everyday school life is becoming increasingly unlikely.

“We have to prepare ourselves for the design of alternating lessons when it becomes necessary again,” says Stark-Watzinger.

"We also have to prepare ourselves for the fact that schools may have to be closed - not nationwide, but regionally."

Piazolo against school closure in Bavaria: "Face-to-face teaching is and remains the top priority"

Bavaria's Minister of Education, Michael Piazolo (Free Voters), meanwhile, announced that he wanted to avoid school closings. The schools in the Free State could remain open even during a tough lockdown because of the Omikron variant. "Face-to-face teaching is and will remain the top priority," said Piazolo of the German Press Agency. The minister justified his position with three aspects: “Firstly, to ensure the educational mandate and the right to education, secondly because school is a place of social encounter and thirdly because we have helped with the high safety standards and especially with testing in schools, to flatten the last waves. Studies have shown that too. "

It would therefore be counterproductive to close the schools again.

A final decision could not be made at the moment due to the dynamic situation, admitted Piazolo.

"Of course, when things develop anew, you have to reassess the situation again and again." Piazolo assured: "We are well prepared for all eventualities."

Michael Piazolo (Free Voters), Minister of Culture of Bavaria.

© Sven Hoppe / dpa / archive image

According to Strack-Watzinger, it is currently also about supporting local schools.

“We have to quickly improve the digital equipment in schools and ensure that the funds from the digital pact flow out more quickly.” Such sentences have been heard from the federal government over and over again in recent months.

Air filters in classrooms were discussed for months in the summer.

Two months after the financing was decided, not a single cent had been paid out.

Because: In reality, the Corona aid money only reaches a few educational institutions.

In Berlin, for example, only 14 of the 64 million euros promised in aid have so far been distributed, according to a recent request to the Senate.

The schools and especially the children will remain a loser in the pandemic.

It could be decided at the beginning of January whether the lessons will be moved back to your own four walls soon.

The next Corona summit is on the program on January 7th.