Children Return to Schools in Quintana Roo Despite the Spectre of COVID-19

The threat of the virus scares many parents to return to face-to-face courses, but some do take their children to school.

CANCUN – Yesterday, the school calendar marked the return to classes of all educational levels in the country as well as in Quintana Roo. The absence of students in the schools was evident. It is calculated that just 20-25% returned to classes as most parents are still not willing to take their children to school.

“Dear girls, boys and young people: Today you start a new school year, at a distance or face-to-face. Give it your best and take good care of yourselves. Parents, let us reinforce health habits in our children, setting an example, ” said the State Governor, Carlos Joaquín González through his Twitter account (@CarlosJoaquin).

“I understand the two positions, I share them. On one hand, in many cases the school is a safe place for many children and also (good for their) mental health, ” expresses the mother of the family Gisela García, from the “Agustín Melgar” elementary school at Supermanzana 27 in Cancun. “They are not safe at home if their parents go to work so this return to face-to-face classes can be a good start if they take care of themselves. ”

In that school, the school administrators invited parents to participate in the campaign for deep cleaning and disinfection of classrooms, scheduled for August 23 through August 27.

“Bring bleach, pinol, sanitizer, rags, dusters, brooms or brushes and buckets,” reads the notice posted at the entrance of the school. On Monday, the school was open, but with little influx of students.

The statement of the Secretary of Education, Ana Isabel Vásquez Jiménez, said that the return to classes is subject to criteria that the educational establishments will have to abide by. The final decision about whether a child goes to school or not will lie with the parents or guardians.

Today at the morning conference, the President of Mexico made a virtual tour to give the “start of the school year flag ceremony” in Mexico City, Yucatan, State of Mexico, Chiapas, Baja California, Veracruz, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Chihuahua, Puebla, Aguascalientes, among others.

At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, the “Nassim Joaquín Ibarra” secondary school, which is located in the 250 region of Cancun, became one of the first schools to receive students for face-to-face classes.

The students arrived at the campus before 7:00 in the morning and complied with the protocols that the authorities showed them.

According to information that was accessed, this school will host the official opening ceremony of the 2021-2022 school year, which is expected to be attended by state and municipal authorities.

The Secretary of Education of Quintana Roo (SEQ), reported that 201 elementary schools, out of 252 that are registered on the agency’s platform, meet the conditions to receive students. This represents 9.4 percent of the total 2,131 schools in the state.

Monday, the Federal Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) in Quintana Roo, will begin the verification and certification of schools so that they comply with the minimum to guarantee the sanitary safety of students.

Regarding the private sector, José Alberto Robles, representative of the “Abre mi Escuela” movement in Quintana Roo, reported that there are conditions for returning to classes on this day, which were established in coordination with health, government and educational authorities.

He also said that nearly 99% of the teaching staff in private sector schools already been vaccinated, which makes the return to classes safer for students, administrative staff and teachers.

Source: Noticaribe