Many schools began a new semester on the 1st, with emergency declarations being issued in various parts of the country.
While some schools prepare test kits and offer online lessons to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, students and parents are raising concerns.
Distribute PCR test kits to all metropolitan schools
Most Tokyo metropolitan schools start from the 1st to the 2nd semester, and as an infection control measure, we carry out staggered school attendance, shortened lessons, and distributed school attendance using online lessons.
The Board of Education of the city has positioned this month as "Measures Strengthening Month", and as a new measure, if infections of children and faculty and staff are confirmed, the metropolitan area will have people who correspond to close contacts undergo PCR tests. We distributed test kits to all schools in Japan.
A total of 253 high schools, junior and senior high schools, and special schools are targeted, and 50 sets will be delivered per school by one day, and we plan to increase the number to 100 in the future.
In response to the fact that the work of the public health center is becoming tight and it is difficult to identify the close contact, "there was contact within 1 meter for 15 minutes or more after removing the mask" is regarded as the close contact. It is shown to each school as a guide.
In addition, we will obtain the consent of parents in writing before conducting the inspection.
On the other hand, for elementary and junior high schools and kindergartens such as municipal and municipal schools, the Board of Education in Tokyo will send an inspection kit when an inspection is required.
Online opening ceremony (Nagoya)
In Aichi Prefecture, most public elementary and junior high schools held the opening ceremony for the second semester.
Of these, the opening ceremony of Higashi Sakura Elementary School in Higashi-ku, Nagoya was held by connecting each classroom and the principal's office online to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, and about 340 children from all schools participated.
In this, Principal Hironori Arai said, "I think there is concern that the infection of the new corona is spreading all over Japan, but let's work together to prevent the spread of the infection."
In each classroom, infection control measures are taken such as spacing children's seats as much as possible and opening windows to ventilate.
A boy in sixth grade said, "I want to be careful not to get too close and spend time with everyone."
Online class during the declaration period (Fukuoka)
At Fukuoka Futaba Elementary School in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, classes will be held online in all grades during the period of the state of emergency.
In the 4th grade classroom, a "morning meeting" was held by connecting online with about 20 children at home, and each of them reported that they worked hard during the summer vacation.
One of the children said, "I'm sorry I couldn't meet my friends after the summer vacation, but I was happy to see everyone's faces online. I hope Corona will settle down and school will resume soon." ..
Online class at blind school (Mito)
As the number of children infected with the new coronavirus is increasing, Ibaraki Prefecture has decided to hold prefectural school classes online during the state of emergency, and is requesting non-prefectural schools to do the same. ..
At the prefectural school for the blind in Mito City, the class after the summer vacation was switched to online, and in the sixth grade class, the teacher was teaching math while watching the facial expressions of the two children on the tablet terminal.
The children participated in the class while touching the Braille textbooks at their homes and raised their hands to answer the questions raised by the teachers.
In this class, a class was planned to be held on the 1st to learn how to calculate the volume of solids, but since children could not touch the model of solids in the classroom, the class dealt with fractions.
Tetsuji Kikuchi, the deputy teacher in charge of the lesson, said, "I'm worried about how far I can follow when a child stumbles online, but I want to teach in an easy-to-understand manner while talking about familiar topics as much as possible." I did.
Child confusion due to preparation for online lessons (Setagaya, Tokyo)
Setagaya Ward started the second semester of elementary and junior high school from the 1st as scheduled.
Classes are divided into two groups for 6 days from the 3rd to 6 days, and ▽ half of the children go to school every day, and ▽ groups who do not go to school are supposed to take online classes at home.
Therefore, in class activities, I checked how to operate the tablets distributed to each person for online lessons.
At this school, classes using tablets are held even in the first semester, but this is the first online class that connects the school and the home.
In the 4th grade class, when entering the password required to launch the application used in the online class, some children struggle to switch between kana characters and alphanumeric characters and to use English uppercase and lowercase letters properly, so the teacher And friends were also seen to help.
In addition, in the first grade class, many children did not yet understand the English letters of ABC, and most of the children needed the help of teachers.
A 4th grade girl said, "I was surprised to be in a remote class, but I thought I could do it today. I will not be able to play outside the school, so I would like to run and exercise as much as possible." I was talking.
Career guidance is also online (Yokohama)
At Koryo High School in Yokohama City, 1st and 2nd grade students go to school 1 day a week, 3rd grade students go to school 2 days a week, and half of the classes go to school, and the rest are taught online.
A briefing session for the "University Admission Common Test" was scheduled for the 1st, but since all the members could not get together, the teacher in charge of career guidance delivered a video for explanation.
Principal Junko Kojima said, "I think the students are very anxious about how long this situation will last. I would like to do my best to give them peace of mind."
After-school children's club "It's hard to accept for a long time" (Oita)
At elementary and junior high schools in Oita City, the infection has spread to younger generations, including children, and since the 30th of last month, we have been conducting decentralized school attendance by grade and class.
For this reason, the after-school children's club in Kanaikemachi, Oita City accepts children who are not on school days early in the morning from around 3:00 pm, and about 20 people spend one day after noon. I did.
At this children's club, some children stay longer than usual, so from the beginning of summer vacation, we prepare non-woven masks and have everyone wear them.
In addition, the instructors took thorough measures against infection, such as diligently calling out to prevent them from becoming dense when playing, and disinfecting each time they used a sword or block.
Hiroshi Koimai, an instructor of the after-school children's club, said, "It is difficult to accept for a long time, but there are some families who are single parents or working together and have trouble with the depository, so I would like to continue accepting while taking measures against infection." ..
Voices of anxiety continue on SNS
As schools reopen all over the country, there are a lot of uneasy voices on SNS.
"Sons of the second semester. (Snip) out from today it is for the time being school in the non-woven fabric mask. After tomorrow, to begin with also lunch there is only Do not really anxiety"
children since the beginning of the "new semester do not want to go scared school. Cause It's Corona. What should I do? "
" I'll regret a lot if my child becomes Corona. I'm not sure if the school is strengthening measures from the first semester (all teachers use non-woven masks and wash their hands thoroughly during breaks. saying Toka such announcement zero), or, to no courage of voluntary school closures .... Why yo parents should not be worrying about so "
on the other hand, also has raised the voice of embarrassment to the efforts of such as distributed school and online classes ..
"Contact from the school. Distributed school attendance + online lessons from tomorrow. I wonder if elementary school students can go online without parents."
"Classes are divided into online and half attending school, and the next day the school resumes in the form of a shift. I think it's okay for everyone to go online, but I'm convinced that I'm taking a step forward. rice field"
Expert "Schools take necessary infection control measures based on guidelines, etc."
Takaji Wakita, who met after an expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, said that the new semester will start at school. It is infected at home. When the school is reopened, there is a risk of infection at the school, so it is necessary to take necessary infection countermeasures based on the guidelines issued by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It's important. Since there are many infections from adults to children, it is important for faculty and staff to understand infection prevention first, and if you can get the vaccine, please do so. Also, use the physical condition management app and antigen test kit. If you are not feeling well, I would like you to go to a medical institution for a medical examination or examination. "