Schools in Poland will reopen for the youngest three year groups from next Monday, 18 January, the government has announced. All other current coronavirus restrictions will, however, remain in place.
This week, in preparation for the reopening, there will be mass coronavirus testing of primary school teachers.
As COVID-19 cases rose dramatically in October, secondary schools and then the oldest children in primary schools were sent home for online learning. The next month, the youngest three years of primary school – children aged 6 to 10 years – were also moved to remote teaching.
At the end of November, the government announced that all schools would remain closed until at least 18 January. In the meantime, coronavirus infection and death rates fell significantly, though have recently levelled out.
At a press conference today, the health minister, Adam Niedzielski, noted that across much of Europe “we are seeing a rising third wave”, driven in particular by new mutations of the virus.
In Poland, however, “we have an ambiguous situation”, he added. Externally, there is a worsening in many countries, but there is “a stable situation in Poland”.
Having “weighed the risks of the pandemic [against] the costs of the youngest children not attending schools”, the government has “decided that the damage caused by pupils not being among their peers outweighs the risks” of them returning.
Therefore, from 18 January, years 1-3 of school will return to in-person teaching. That will apply across the whole country (in contradiction to an announcement by Niedzielski earlier in the day saying that a return was only being considered in two provinces with the lowest infection rates).
➡️ Od 18 stycznia uczniowie klas 1-3 wrócą do szkół ❗ pic.twitter.com/IWQPoR9c93
— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) January 11, 2021
“Restarting in-person teaching for years 1-3 is a very important decision, because remote learning in the youngest groups is the least effective and the most burdensome for students, teachers and parents,” said the education minister, Przemysław Czarnek, speaking alongside Niedzielski.
Czarnek assured that the decision had been made following consultation with schools, education superintendents and virologists. They have together developed a series of guidelines that will ensure the reopening is “as safe as possible”.
One element of this, which already started today, is a nationwide programme of coronavirus testing for teachers. The aim is for all those responsible for years 1-3 to have access to a voluntary test before schools reopen in one week.
One teacher in Kraków, Wiesława Bilska, who attended a test today, said that she is longing for schools to reopen. “The youngest children need contact with their peers and exercise every day,” she told Gazeta Krakowska. “That can’t be replaced with a computer.”
At today’s press conference, the health minister confirmed that, apart from schools reopening, all other coronavirus restrictions would be renewed from Monday, 18 January, and remain in place until at least 31 January.
These include the compulsory wearing of masks in indoor and outdoor public spaces, the closure of hotels, cultural institutions and restaurants, as well as limits on the number of people in churches and shops. For full details, see here and here.
❗ Zasady bezpieczeństwa w etapie odpowiedzialności – przedłużone do 31 stycznia ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/fkFhDa9ZCJ
— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) January 11, 2021
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
