While the Ministry of Education may decide to extend virtual learning through 2021, many private schools are not happy with this possibility. Lessons have been cancelled since March 16, and representatives of private schools assure that they have been ready with protocols in place to return to in person classes since June.
They ask to be seen separately and not held to decisions made by the MEP. They claim that since they are private companies they should be able to decide if and when to go back to in person classes.
There are 534 private educational centers with a total of almost 1 million students, or 7.5% of the students in the country. The Association of Private Educational Centers has a plan to combine face-to-face classes and virtual ones, while respecting the measures indicated by the Health authorities, such as reducing the number of students per classroom, staggering times students have classes, monitoring health situations, and hand washing.
Officials from the MEP also want to see students back in classrooms. They explain, however, that the decision is not made by the MEP alone but is based on technical analysis of infections and measures defined by the Ministry of Health.
