site.btaEducation Minister: School Year Will Begin With In-Person Classes

August 27 (BTA) - The new school year will begin with in-person classes in all schools, Education Minister Krassimir Valchev told a news briefing at the National School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Sofia on Thursday. He added, however, that with three weeks until September 15 when the school year begins this may change.

Valchev predicted that the epidemic will continue for another 10 to 12 months throughout the new school year, which is why students will switch between in-person and online classes. This will be done based on a specific number of infections per 1,000 or 10,000 population. The Minister said that the Education Ministry has published on its website guidelines for schools during the new school year and each school will draw up its own list of measures
The Ministry has put forward a list of optional measures too. Schools
will be allowed to put in place their own measures, but health protocols will be compulsory.

Schools will have to update parents about the epidemic situation at the school once weekly and about every infected student and teacher. Pupils with COVID-19 symptoms will be isolated.

Minister Valchev said that he has issued guidelines allowing pupils with chronic conditions or with parents with chronic conditions to switch to online classes.

Students' work will be graded and attendance will be marked during online classes, said Valchev.

The Ministry plans to transform between 15 and 20 schools into centres for distance learning. Each centre will educate pupils from several schools from different regions and municipalities. Distance learning will likely be introduced from late September or early October, said Valchev.

Minister Valchev said that each higher school will implement its own set of measures. The majority of universities have chosen to switch from in-person classes at the beginnng of the academic year to online classes when there are infected students and staff.

Fifty-seven municipalities have a shortage of pre-school places
and children who are not enrolled in kindergartens will be eligible for compensation, said the Education Minster. He said that this issue has been discussed with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Sofia Deputy Mayor Todor Chobanov said that the government has allocated 65 million leva for the construction of kindergartens in Sofia. NV/PP
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