More than 7000 students of group 8 in Amsterdam will have lessons at school after the Christmas holidays. 220 Amsterdam primary schools feel surprised by a late decision by the cabinet, which they now want to avoid.

According to primary schools, January is an important month for students in the last year. And also just choosing the whole aspect of a new school, finishing the year with your other classmates, working towards that end, staying at a good level to be able to take the next step. So logical that you say: that group is vulnerable,” says Eva Naaijkens, school leader of the Alan Turing School in Amsterdam.

crooked faces

All outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and outgoing Minister Hugo de Jonge announced. On January 3, the caretaker cabinet of the schools will be able to open after the Christmas holidays.

D66 MP Paul van Meenen thinks it’s a great plan. “It’s important for these kids, in an important year. And physical education is the best, I know from experience.” Although he can imagine crooked faces in other cities. “But the space that schools can take in other places is the same. Let’s do everything that is safe.” He calls for a national scheme.

“

I don’t like to see children sitting at home and others going to school.

VVD MP Mariëlle Paul is not happy with the intention of the primary schools in Amsterdam. “We cannot yet say whether it is wise to open the schools then. That is that the advice of experts will only come shortly in advance, if we know how the virus is for it. And it would be wise if the schools in Amsterdam are also waiting for that advice.”

wait

“Many positive agreements have been issued by the epidemiologist”, he says himself is not so positive about the new variant. “We really have to wait and see. It is still too early. Let the current one drop a bit more first. Then there is room to prevent with new ways to safely open other sectors.”

He wants schools to think about responsibly reopening together with GGD and OMT. “Think about significant attention to ventilation, and starting with CO2 meters in the classroom and windows open and closed. See if mouth masks can be used. Smaller classes of larger progress. Classes not equal to 100 percent and within education prioritize students who thrive very poorly at home schooling.”

Healthy to school

School leader Naaijkens, including the Amsterdam plan, is indeed an “emergency measure” and prefers to advocate: all children go to school for 2 to 3 days. “Open school half way so we can serve all students. I don’t like to see children at home and others go to school. We need to think more carefully: what can we do to make a final decision at half power.” do way to get children to school anyway.”

She thinks that there is a lack of good measures at school now. We are entitled to that. hoc measures are just really bad. That does not provide security and structure that we should be aware of in education.”