Time to talk about reopening schools
THE message that we all needed to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives was heard loud and clear at the end of March. Most people did as advised and, as a result, the feared peak never came.
The Government, local authorities and the NHS communicated that this was a national emergency and we must all respond by giving up our normal way of life. Most people did that. Now the challenge is how to reopen. And this is not as easy as shutting down.
Persuading people it is not only desirable but essential to ease away from lockdown sensibly will be difficult. Some will take unnecessary risks while others may be riskaverse.
Life is about balancing risk, and that is what we must all now do to get the world and Wales going again. Not least in this is the hugely important matter of reopening schools and how best to do that.
As lockdown eases and the number of deaths and cases fall, doctors, other medics and scientists are urging the Welsh Government to open schools full-time in September. The risk to children’s learning, development and health is now at risk from the continued shutdown of normal life and school, they warn.
More than 50 doctors, nurses, teachers, governors, academics and scientists have written an open letter to Education Minister Kirsty Williams saying the same. The letter, co-ordinated by an epidemiologist, points out that children are less likely to catch and spread Covid-19, and lockdown has been “extremely harmful” to learning.
While many individuals, and some unions, have warned it is unsafe to open schools, it is now time to have a measured conversation about how to do what’s best for our young people.
As one hospital doctor says, if we don’t open schools full-time in September, when should we? The virus is not going away and we won’t have a vaccine by then. Children cannot stay cooped up forever and their education must not be halted. However well schools have risen to the challenge of learning and teaching remotely, for most people fulltime school is preferable.
Parents struggling to work from home cannot be expected to home educate at the same time longterm. Headteachers have also called for clarity, saying they need to know how to plan for September.
We must not play politics with our children’s future or education. Decisions must be made on best evidence alone. England and Scotland have made plans for September. Wales must follow.