About two-thirds of Flemish nursery schools will reopen tomorrow, according to a survey by the Association of Flemish Education (VLVO).
About 67% of the nursery schools in Flanders will reopen on Tuesday, and the rest will follow over the course of the week, according to the survey, which was completed by 482 primary school directors.
More than 95% of primary schools also said they will also expand their capacity on Friday 5 or Monday 8 June, reports VRT. Not a single school said that it will not open at all, but the ways in which more children can come to school will vary.
In more than half of the nursery schools, all toddlers are allowed to go back to class together. 13.2% will use a different schedule, and in 7.2% of the schools, not all toddlers will go to class at all times.
The approach also varies in primary schools, where 36.6% of schools start full time for all classes, in a bubble per class. In almost a quarter of the schools, the class groups are split up and the children alternately attend school for 2 full days. Another 12% of schools indicated that they opt for 4 half days.
Over a quarter of schools said they would combine several of these measures or try another approach, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
Related News
- Schools should not close during second wave, says Flemish Minister
- How all pupils will return to school in Belgium
- Children could sit closer together in class from June
In more than half of the schools that reopen, the contact bubbles that will be formed are not as big as the entire class group, meaning that more than one bubble will have to be formed per class. Not only do they do this for safety reasons, but many schools also indicate that they learn faster in smaller groups.
Additionally, over 60% of the interviewed directors indicate that they feel "less good" or even "bad" about the safety of the situation as it is now.
Most of the respondents also indicated that they did not like the communication about the increased capacity in primary education, with almost 75% feeling angry or frustrated after the announcement by Flemish Minister for Education Ben Weyts on 22 May, in which he said that all pupils in Flanders could return to class soon.
On 27 May, when it became clear that the rule of 4 square metres per pupil should no longer be respected, these feelings persisted, according to the survey.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
