The little ones went back to school this Monday morning with a new, stricter health protocol, but also the appearance of self-tests.

Only if the parents seem relieved to send their children back to school after three weeks at home, all over France, many questions remain. 

Primary and kindergartens reopened on Monday for a back-to-school that promises to be complex, between the ramp-up of anti-Covid tests desired by the government and the maintenance of a strict health protocol that risks causing multiple class closures.

In fact, 400,000 saliva tests will be offered each week to schoolchildren and if one of them proves positive, his class will be immediately closed.

So in Marseille as in Toulouse, if the families seem indeed relieved of this return to school, among teachers the apprehension remains.

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Children disturbed by the health situation

In the Capelette district, in Marseille, parents and children quite agree: the recovery feels good after three weeks, despite the questions surrounding the new protocol.

"We were really exhausted at home. My son is hyper-active and was jumping everywhere," admits a mother.

Same observation in Toulouse, at the Jean Chaubet school, where Jeannette came to drop off her granddaughter and resumed her usual rhythm.

"My daughter is a caregiver and it was very hard for her. And the little one was also fed up. She missed her girlfriends," she explains.

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But there were also unpleasant surprises this Monday morning, such as schools closed for lack of staff present.

"We received the information very late via Facebook. We suffer as usual," does not take offense a mother from Marseille.

Others also struggled to lift their children after three weeks without school.

"My son did not want to go at all. He is anxious and we feel that the health situation weighs heavily on him. Even putting the mask back on after several weeks without was complicated. He wants to return to a normal life" , despairs a mother who fears a new class closure in a few days.

Questions about the self-tests

The other novelty of this new school year concerns this time the teachers and the self-tests which have been delivered since Monday morning by academic inspectors like Olivier Fortoul, who must provide after-sales service.

"The tests are scheduled twice a week even if one is not symptomatic," explains the latter to a teacher from the Marseille city who wonders.  

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The government has ordered 64 million for students over 15, teachers and other national education staff. But as Emmanuelle Katmerkel, director of an establishment in Marseille deplores, many questions from educational staff remain. "It's a good thing, but we could have anticipated, informed us and educated us in this practice," she said. These famous self-tests will also be distributed later to high school students, who will find their way back to school from May 3.