Reopening of schools, 10 pupils per class in Belgium: in Italy, let us remember the 300,000 teachers over 55 at risk

While in Italy the announcement of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on the easing of restrictions and the gradual resumption of various production activities is expected shortly, the school continues to wait. Much will depend on the conclusions reached by the task force of the Ministry of Education, chaired by Patrizio Bianchi, also expected shortly.

Landini’s sortie

The opinion of the leader of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, made a “noise” on this topic, who in an interview with the press after the agreement with the unions in view of the reopenings said that it is necessary to decide “immediately, how and when to open nests kindergartens and schools of all levels, studying all the useful precautions of school construction and class composition “.

The unionist added that “distance learning is fine, but that in presence is also needed. Which also means responding to the needs of families “.

Landini also said he was concerned about “an unprecedented level of inequality”, which Coronavirus has accentuated. Also in the school, where the pupils of the poorest families participated with extreme difficulty in distance lessons. And the intervention of the government, with two appropriations of about 80 million euros, to provide, among other things, tablets to those who do not have it, certainly cannot be enough to clear the gap. In fact, it should be remembered that the desktop computer (which is the most suitable tool for participating in distance learning) continues to be lacking for one in three families.

The CGIL secretary, concerned about the family management of workers with young children, who in this phase of emergency cannot even count on family members and especially on grandparents, therefore asks to move to understand when to reopen the schools, always in line with the concrete risks which would result in a return to close school.

As we have been able to write on this publication, in particular Landini does not seem to care that, according to official data, one in three Italian teachers is over 55 years old. And that for them too short a return to school would pose potential serious health risks.

Over 55 at risk: 300 thousand teachers

The over 55 are, according to the latest Inail indications on the management of Coronavirus, they are in fact the age group that needs to be protected more.

The National Institute of social security has given fundamental implementation of “Exceptional health surveillance for workers over the age of 55”, so much so that “in the absence of adequate immune coverage, (verified with serological tests) one could evaluate the possibility of a judgment of temporary unsuitability for work that could be re-evaluated at set deadlines “.

For one in three teachers, let’s talk about 300 thousand teachers, distance learning should be the compromise to avoid returning to school: unless serological tests are implemented, in order to assess the state of immune response to the fearsome virus, they should be declared temporarily unsuitable for returning to class. And the same is true for 70% of school managers, therefore almost 5,000 other civil servants.

Even for pupils, although they are not particularly at risk of Covid-19, it would be appropriate to provide for preventive provisions.

In Belgium four square meters of minimum space

One could then take an example from Belgium, where Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes was announced on Saturday 25 April that schools will reopen on 18 May. Except that it will be done gradually and partially.

Belgian pupils – who have teachers with a much lower average age than ours – will meet at most in 10 per class and each must have four square meters of space away from each other.

The provision appears rigid, but the unions do not seem to be enough: “resuming lessons on a too large scale – commented Roland Lahaye of the CSB confederation – will be complicated in terms of organization”.

From the syndicalist’s calculations, there is something that does not return in the resumption of lessons in Belgium: “There are 700,000 young people enrolled in primary and secondary education in the Wallonie-Brussels Federation (Fwb). If only 150,000 of them returned, in groups of 10, 15,000 premises would already be needed. Is it realistic? ”Asked Lahaye.

In Italy it would not be easy

More than someone has already calculated that practicing a formula like the Belgian one would be not quite simple in Italy: for a high percentage of classes, we are talking about those composed of over 25 pupils, it would be a matter of going to school every three days.

Or to introduce gods double daily shifts, with lessons to be held morning and afternoon, with hourly units of no more than 45-50 minutes. In addition to a complex alternation of teachers, the number of which should probably also be increased.

A solution, that of alternate lessons, which, among other things, would not solve the problem of working parents raised by Roberto Landini.