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Berlin (dpa) - The federal states have announced further school openings.
The alternating or face-to-face lessons begun at primary schools are to be expanded and intensified to other years.
This was decided by the education ministers in the conference of ministers of education after a communication on Tuesday.
It should be opened “if the infection situation still allows it”.
Dates are not mentioned in the decision.
The federal states have already taken different approaches to partially opening schools.
It was now expressly stated that there should be regional deviations.
A preliminary draft resolution for the deliberations between the Prime Minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel this Wednesday also provides “that the staff in schools and childcare as well as all pupils are offered (...) free quick tests including a certificate of the test result per attendance week receive".
At least one or two such tests should be offered per week.
During these tests, trained personnel take swabs deep in the nose and throat.
The informative value of a negative result is only high for a few hours.
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On February 22nd, elementary schools were reopened in ten countries - for alternating operations with half classes that come to school alternately, or full operation with fixed groups, sometimes with masking requirements, even in lessons.
In some countries, parents were left free to send their children.
"The opening of the primary schools has succeeded overall well," said the KMK President and Brandenburg Minister Britta Ernst (SPD).
Distance learning continues to apply to older students and young people, except for graduating classes.
The education ministers are now quoting the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) with the statement that schoolchildren did not play a greater role as an “engine” in the pandemic.
In fact, the RKI found in a study that «school students tend not to play a greater role as a" motor ", but that the frequency is closely related to the incidence in the general population».
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The RKI had investigated a certain period of time.
In this there were outbreaks at schools.
Half of the outbreaks in schools were confined to the respective year or class.
The risk of being involved in an outbreak was the smallest among all 6- to 20-year-olds among children up to 10.
According to a study cited by the RKI, the risk of illness in secondary schools is higher than in schools with younger people.
According to the RKI surveys, risks for outbreaks are predominantly posed by teachers.
These are the suspected primary case in around half of the outbreaks in 6 to 10-year-olds.
The KMK calls for nationwide test opportunities to be financed by the federal government for staff working in schools - but only “prospectively” for schoolchildren.
The preliminary draft for the Bund-Länder-Round this Wednesday, however, stipulates that the tests will be ensured by the Länder.
The association of paediatricians had rejected nationwide tests in schools and daycare centers.
He justified this with the claim that too many false negative and false positive results can be expected.
In their opinion, however, all adults who come into contact with the children should be tested.
During the first approved self-tests, cotton swabs must be inserted into the nose - but not as deeply as with the quick tests to be carried out by trained personnel.
Self-tests are expected to be available for sale from next week.
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The ministers of education also put pressure on teachers to vaccinate.
According to the primary school teachers and educators, all school staff should be vaccinated as a matter of priority.
The Standing Vaccination Commission had generally rejected priority vaccinations for teachers.
Otherwise, people with cancer and other illnesses, for example, might have a chance later - teachers with illnesses might already have priority.
The federal states spoke out in favor of a funding program to compensate for pandemic-related learning delays.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210302-99-660495 / 2
KMK decision
RKI to schools
Operating instructions for an approved test