The city of Belo Horizonte informed this Friday (4) that it will contradict the recommendation of the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais (MPMG) and will not determine the immediate return of face-to-face classes in all age groups in the capital of Minas Gerais.
According to the municipality, face-to-face classes for children aged 5 to 11 will only start on February 14th. The announcement of the suspension of face-to-face activities for this group was made by Mayor Alexandre Kalil on January 26th. The decision was criticized by experts heard by the CNN.
“Among the determining reasons for the suspension is the high transmissibility of the Ômicron variant among children, the large number of hospitalizations in pediatric wards and ICUs”, informed the note from the city hall refusing the MP’s recommendation.
The text adds that all children in this age group will have been called to receive the first dose of vaccines against Covid-19 in the capital of Minas next week, providing “high levels of protection”.
On Thursday (3), the MPMG recommended that the city of Belo Horizonte adopt “necessary and sufficient administrative measures for the immediate return of face-to-face classes for students of all ages, in public and private educational institutions in the city”.
The recommendation, according to a statement from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, “prevents fraud and constitutes a default for the recipient regarding the requested measures and may imply the adoption of all appropriate measures, to the fullest extent, in particular the filing of an action for the execution of the Term of Conduct Adjustment (TAC) and other legal measures”.
The MPMG considers that the decree suspending face-to-face activities has negative impacts, with aggravating damage to children’s mental health and “serious violation of the fundamental right to education”. In addition, according to the recommendation, the TAC signed last year was “violated because it was not based on the technical data released by the municipality itself”.
The city government says that “the municipality reaffirms that it has complied with everything agreed with the Public Ministry in the commitment to adjust conduct signed in June 2021”.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) advocates the opening of schools around the world.
“We need bold actions to allow all children to return to school. This includes providing comprehensive support with a particular focus on vulnerable children in each community, such as recovery classes, mental health and nutrition support, protection and other essential services,” says UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
Fore also urged governments not to make vaccinating children a prerequisite for face-to-face teaching.
Experts criticize postponement of return to face-to-face classes
The decision to postpone face-to-face classes was criticized by experts heard by the CNN.
“The moment is complicated, with an increase in cases. But postponing the opening of schools or not opening schools, says Unicef, can be another serious problem for our children and adolescents”, says Isabella Ballalai, vice president of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm).
“European countries, which are ahead of us in the Ômicron wave, have not closed schools. It is important for parents to understand that, at this time, symptoms cannot be neglected. The school is safe because it has protocols, with the use of masks and distancing, in addition to vaccination”, she added.
the expert CNN in Education, Cláudia Costin, said that, from a pedagogical point of view, the sooner children return to schools, the better it will be for learning. In addition, a system for rescuing lessons lost during the pandemic needs to be set up.
“These losses are not just about learning, there is also a serious mental health problem for children, with anxiety and depression problems. There is a growing resumption of child labor and this cannot be ignored. The sooner we go back to school, from a pedagogical point of view, the better it will be for these children,” she said.
Dr Renato Kfouri, director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm), understands that restrictions should be adopted by analyzing the transmissibility of the virus at the moment, and not exclusively by the vaccination rate.
As he explained, schools should be the last places to be closed due to restrictions against Covid.
“I think the closing measures should be given by the transmission rate, we have to toughen up because of the high transmission now. But we have already learned that schools should be the last to be restricted in this regard,” said Kfouri.
Source: CNN Brasil
