The coronavirus epidemic has already changed a lot of our habits, and this will also affect the youngest of us as soon as the start of the school year, scheduled in Portugal between September 14th and September 17th, resumes. With less than a month before the children going back to school, Portuguese health authorities are issuing recommendations for the safest possible return. Among the measures, the establishment of a take-away only canteen, the disinfection of chairs and tables by the students themselves and in some establishments the disappearance of breaks! Lisbob, the expatriate assistant, tells you all about the new Portuguese school.
New Portuguese school: no break, take-away canteen and disinfection by the pupils themselves
There is one month left until the start of the next Portuguese school year, which begins between September 14th and 17th. For now, many schools have already completed their operational plans, while others are still finalizing the design of possible scenarios, said Lusa Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Group Directors and Managers. public schools (ANDAEP).
All students will start with face-to-face training and can move to a blended or distance learning model at any time. In September, "all families will be informed of what will be the next school year, with the guarantee that all the security conditions will be in place so that everyone can return to school," promised Filinto Lima, also director. from the Dr Costa Matos school group.
Certain rules, such as the definition of circulation routes within schools, the compulsory use of masks or the cleaning of spaces, will be rules for everyone, but there will be solutions adapted to the characteristics of each school.
Thus, some schools opt to shorten recess to a maximum of 5 minutes, in order to reduce the risk of student agglomerations. Others have decided to abolish recess altogether in order to simply avoid regroupings. For Manuel Pereira, president of the National Association of School Heads (ANDE), shortening the intervals "makes sense on paper but in practice it does not work: children need to rest". He admits that they can do it inside the classroom, but the socialization part is missing.
For some Portuguese schools, this is also the end of the old school canteen. With the new normal comes new rules, and some schools will only open their canteens in "take-away" mode, that is, take-out. Finally, the disinfection of chairs and tables by the pupils themselves will also be implemented, with the aim of relieving the workload of teachers and maintenance staff in Portuguese schools.
Indeed, the chronic shortage of staff in Portuguese schools is now aggravated by the increase in tasks, from the need for better student control to the constant cleaning of spaces. With these new rules, what do you think of the new Portuguese school?
