TIRANA – “Do not open public schools of pre-university education, without a proper study of the impact and spread of covid among children and their families in Albania!” This was the appeal which has been made by the Center for Child Protection (CRCA) in response to government’s scheme to open schools in this Balkan country. According to the government decision, schools will start on September 14 and safety protocols against the coronavirus infection have been made public.
But CRCA said that the government had not conducted any studies regarding the safety of children in schools during this pandemic.
The opening of schools should be done only after the compilation of a well-studied national plan in consultation with parents and the public opinion, said the statement. According to this organization, any plans should take into account the health of children, the rate of spread of the virus in Albania, the possibilities of the pediatric system to face the increasing possibility that COVID-19 will affect even the poorest children and most exposed to respiratory diseases, diabetes, lack of healthy food, etc.
The opposition Democratic Party (DP), which earlier called for the opening of schools, has blasted on the government accusing it of having no safety plans expressing concern over students’ health.
In the meantime the well-known professor in the field of Public Health and International Enterprise Management, Dr. Erion Dasho, who has been following step by step how the Albanian government is managing the crisis created in the country by the coronavirus pandemic, drew the attention to the financial impact of the opening of schools in the conditions of the pandemic on Monday.
The 7-page instruction of the Ministry of Health on the opening of schools in Albania deals with measures, rules, placement of students in classes and other premises, prevention of infection in health institutions and other details having no financial references.
In face of such a case Doctor’s question is: “Was yesterday’s instruction on the opening of schools accompanied by a budget, or is it foreseen that schools will be given magic wands?!”
Many experts have expressed suspicions, even fear, over such a decision when the education system in Albania is in bad shape and the spread of the virus continues unchecked with a daily average of 140 infections and rising number of fatalitities which stood at 250 victims on Sunday since the outbreak of the pandemic last March./argumentum.al
