Helsinki authorities confirm that children will return to classrooms on Monday in the Helsinki metropolitan area News
Regional government agencies and municipalities have the power to decide whether or not lessons are held remotely in their area of responsibility.
The city of Helsinki has informed teachers that the schools will return to the classrooms next Monday morning according to the schedule after the Christmas holidays.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) suggested that the spring term A distance learning period should start in Finnish schools.
On Friday afternoon, government ministers will meet to discuss the bill, but regional government agencies (Avi) and municipalities have the power to decide whether classes are held remotely or not.
“I just sent a message [the school messaging service] Wilma that we will return to contact teaching and send a message immediately if there are any changes, ”he said Satu Järvenkallas, Executive Director of the City of Helsinki Education Committee.
The transition to distance learning would require several days of preparation not only from decision-makers but also from schools and families. For example, arranging school meals during a distance learning period can take 5 to 7 days.
Students should also be given detailed instructions and information, Järvenkallas added.
“If we move to extensive distance learning, it would now have one completely new age group, the fourth graders. Not everyone may have computers or even Wi-Fi connections at home,” he said.
Responsibility for decision-making on distance learning is divided in different ways in different municipalities. In Helsinki, the decision-making power is currently vested in the head of the education department.
A possible transition to distance learning will only be made after an assessment of the local Avi epidemiological situation, which cannot be done on the Friday before the schools open on Monday.
The City of Helsinki intends to follow a class- and school-specific system and, if necessary, make special arrangements, such as after quarantine class exposure.
“Anyway, we’ll soon see how this situation develops. But once distance learning begins, the decision will be hard to reverse,” Järvenkallas said.