It's summer vacation time, but at the ministry, we are already preparing for the start of the school year. National Education published a circular Friday evening to frame the start of the new school year in September 2020, which will be carried out under the same sanitary conditions as those applied at the end of the school year.
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First information: all students will be welcomed during school time. For the rest, the new school year will start as the last had ended: with barrier gestures, hand washing and cleaning of classrooms. The circular says it very clearly: "In order to guarantee the health of students and staff, compliance with essential health rules must be ensured." For this, the Ministry of Education relied on the advice of the High Council of Public Health and the Defense Council. Emphasis will be placed on barrier gestures and hand hygiene. Wearing a mask will be mandatory for adults and students over the age of 11.
This return to school rejoices Hubert Salaün, spokesperson for the Federation of Parents of Public Education Students. For him, no doubt, "school is face-to-face". Even if social distancing will be required, "there is no better than the teacher-student relationship" in the flesh because in virtual, "with only a chat to chat, it's not the same thing" .
A plan in the event of reconfiguration
In terms of school learning, this new year promises to be unprecedented. After confinement, the Ministry of Education expects a great disparity in level between the students: 4% of them would have even dropped out. The challenge will therefore be to close these gaps, in particular through personalized support for students according to their specific needs. To try to achieve this, the ministry announces that it will mobilize 1.5 million additional hours devoted to this objective as well as to homework assistance.
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Finally, if there were to be a second wave of the epidemic and a possible reconfiguration, a plan for educational continuity is already planned. Through distance education or digital resources, students will be able to continue learning.