Type of Intervention: Other Announcement
Sectors Involved: Education
Intervention Categories: Social and physical distancing measures; Adapting or closing schools; Planning and strategy; Education and awareness
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: Minister of Education and Culture
Overview: The Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo Da Silveira, admitted on Wednesday that there is a “real risk” that some students end up dropping out of the educational system after the suspension of classes by Covid-19.
“It is a real risk. We have to do everything possible so that it does not materialize. It is one of the cases where the solution is to combine distance education with face-to-face. Distance education is allowing us to sustain learning and contact , thanks to the responsibility of teachers and students, “he commented at a press conference, after appearing before the special commission that deals with the law of urgent consideration in the Senate.
Distance education, he pointed out, “reproduces” problems that already “exist in the world”, where the vulnerable sectors “are the ones that have the most problems to benefit from it.”
“We have to develop compensatory actions to strengthen those learnings from those who already have more problems,” he said.
In any case, despite these difficulties, Da Silveira highlighted Uruguay’s use of this type of education.
“The use that we have of the Ceibal Plan is making an immense difference in favor of Uruguay in the whole world. We are very significantly attenuating the suspension of classes. That is good news, it is something to celebrate,” he said.
The government works with the group of scientists it has appointed to set a date to resume face-to-face classes, but President Luis Lacalle Pou announced that the July and September holidays will be reduced and that the end of courses could be postponed in December.
“There is no definitive date, we do want to have it in a short time and for this we are going to consult the scientists who are helping us,” said the president.
“It is a matter of concern for parents, who have to go to work and have nowhere to leave their children,” he said.
Full details here: https://www.montevideo.com.uy/Noticias/Da-Silveira-admitio-que-hay-riesgo-real-de-desercion-estudiantil-durante-la-pandemia-uc752058
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Type of Justification: Advice of EXTERNAL expert advisor or advisory committee
Source of Evidence or Justification: National – academic, National – government