Education minister wants re-opening of schools ASAP, even as of Febr. 8 if possible

Education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu said today he wants “schools re-opened as soon as possible, depending on the epidemiological situation, even as of February 8″ after the one-week holiday before the start of the second semester.

The minister told Hotnews.ro on Monday that pupils from kindergartens, from the primary school and students who have national exams might resume physical classes in the first stage. He said that one of the criteria will be the vaccination campaign,  yet he would not mention if re-opening of schools will be conditioned on the vaccination of the educational staff.

Minister Cîmpeanu also said that a decision regarding the schools re-opening will be taken after the second part of January.

The National Council of Pupils asked the Education Ministry on Monday to decentralise the decision on re-opening schools, so that educational units could resume their physical classes in the localities where the rate of infection is below 3 per 1,000 inhabitants, especially that national exams are getting closer.

Asked if re-opening schools will be conditioned by the teachers getting vaccinated, the minister replied: “I would not be serious if I take a stance before an analysis. To the extent that we’ll have teachers and non-teaching staff vaccinated in schools, of course this is an important element to take a decision on reopening”.

The coordinator of the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19, military doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, said on Sunday evening that re-opening schools for physical classes is not conditioned by the vaccination of teachers.