It starts again for children and young people in three federal states: Going to school under Corona conditions.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein will start this Monday, Hamburg will follow on Thursday.

Many children will come together because all three countries start with face-to-face teaching.

How things continue will depend on the development of the corona numbers - and they are currently rising steadily, albeit at a low level.

Neither parent nor teacher representatives have any illusions.

“In the foreseeable future there will be alternating and distance teaching again in the new school year,” says Sabrina Wetzel from the board of the Federal Parents' Council.

The President of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, emphasizes: "We will have to reckon with a further increase in the number of infections and will therefore need safety precautions for months."

Face-to-face teaching

At the start of school, the classes should fill up.

All three countries start with face-to-face teaching, even if the compulsory presence in the Hanseatic city is suspended for the time being.

For example, students who are at increased health risk or who do not want to be tested can continue to study at home.

Masks

Mouth and nose covers are a familiar sight in the classroom even in the new school year.

Hamburg remains with the mask requirement in the buildings.

Schleswig-Holstein adheres to the requirement to wear a mask indoors for the first three weeks; it is no longer required in schoolyards.

The pupils in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have to wear a mask in the first two weeks in class, later only when the state's own corona warning light, which is based on several values ​​about the infection rate, shows orange.

Vaccination campaigns

Schleswig-Holstein wants to make vaccination easy for older students.

According to Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU), from August 19, schoolchildren from the age of twelve and all employees of the mobile teams of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians can be vaccinated against the corona virus at the 250 locations of community schools and grammar schools.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania wants to send mobile vaccination teams for 16- and 17-year-olds to schools in the second week, the need should be determined beforehand.

Hamburg is not planning any vaccination offers in schools.

Testing

In Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, the following applies to teachers and students alike: Those who have not been vaccinated or recovered must test themselves twice a week.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, students and unvaccinated teachers have to be tested twice a week.

Teacher representative Meidinger would actually like rapid tests every day, but at least three times a week.

Parents representative Wetzel warns that tests must be carried out in schools outside of school hours.

"Otherwise something like that eats up a lesson every time."

Learning gaps

Learning under difficult conditions has set many students back.

Schleswig-Holstein tries to close the gaps with a year-round “learning opportunities program”.

20,000 education vouchers have been made available for weaker students, 1,500 of which have been accessed so far.