Francophone Education Minister Caroline Désir on Sunday urged parents angered by the need for their children to wear facemasks in school from Monday not to take their anger out on school authorities, Belga reports.
“I am asking parents not to vent their anger on the schools’ management or teachers,” Minister Désir stressed on Sunday on the RTL-TVi’s weekly programme, ‘C’est pas tous les jours Dimanche.’
She was reacting to concern expressed by the headmaster of the Sainte-Marie Namur School, Perry Binard, who had indicated that petitions were being circulated among parents opposed to the requirement that children aged six years and above need to wear facemasks when in school.
“Let us not place children at the centre of adult battles,” the minister urged on Sunday. “Respect the rules, and do not vent your anger on the schools’ management or teachers (…). They did not choose this measure, they are conforming to it, like me.”
Ms. Désir acknowledged, however, that “the mask culture will not develop overnight” and that a certain understanding was therefore necessary.
The latest circular on health measures in schools stipulates that, while facemasks are required indoors, including in classrooms, the measure can be relaxed during “pauses,” when everyone is seated and if the activity allows it. The form and regularity of the “pauses” have not been defined, the Minister confirmed. “I put my trust in the teachers for that,” she said.
