site.btaMajority of Teachers, Principals Polled Think Entire Education System Should Temporarily Switch to E-learning

Sofia, November 11 (BTA) - The Education trade union with the
Confederation of Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) is watching
closely the current situation in Bulgarian educational
institutions: the morbidity rates, the number of infected and
quarantined students and teachers, and the number of sick
leaves, according to a position by the trade union, released by
its head, Dr Yulian Petrov, on Wednesday.

The statement points out that in-person class attendance is and
will always be the most efficient form of education, but the
current emergency situation in Bulgaria's healthcare and
education systems require alternative solutions.
 
The Education trade union conducted a survey, asking teachers
and principals if educational institutions should stick to
in-person attendance classes, or switch entirely to electronic
learning.

According to 79.4 per cent of the pollees, the entire system
must switch to online classes, and 76.8 per cent think that the
working conditions in schools are unsafe. So far, the survey has
 been conducted among 4,270 teachers and principals, the trade
union informed. The poll results are ascribed to the current
difficulties in organizing the teaching process due to the large
 number of infected or unavailable teachers and principals.

Many teachers take extra precautions and go out on sick leave
for one or two weeks. The remaining teachers and principals
substitute for their missing colleagues, which leads to their
utter exhaustion.
 
The survey found that 10 per cent of Bulgaria's educational
institutions do not even have medics, and another 25 per cent
are currently left without one, as they have hired medics close
to retirement who are afraid to work in the front line, and are
advised to stay at their homes.

RY/MT