Nearly 130,000 masks are being bought for schools

129,575 face masks are being bought for the 2020-2021 Academic year, including 67,274 reusable masks for teachers and non-teaching staff and 56,100 single use masks for students who will not be allowed to take them home. Another 2,835 FFP2 masks and 3,366 surgical masks will also be purchased, but it’s not clear who they will be for.

873 face shields, 424,495 litres of hydrolytic alcohol gel and 2,835 protective gowns will also be purchased.

The cost of PPE material for phases 2 and 3 of the de-escalation and the the School Accompaniment Program in July amounted to 283,704 euros and included 6,900 single-use hygienic masks, 2,324 FFP2 type masks, 2,324 face shields, 1,705 protective gowns and 5,059 litres of hydroalcoholic gel.

These urgent purchases were made to comply with the coronavirus health and safety protocols in education, said Government Spokesperson Pilar Costa.

"Maximum security is guaranteed in schools for the next school year,” she said.

Teachers

At a Sectorial Board of Education on Friday, the Government informed the Unions that the allocation of places for Temporary Teachers in the next academic year will be delayed slightly because the Ministry’s Technical Service has “collapsed.”

Unions

All of the Unions, except the CCOO have rejected the Ministry of Education’s measures regarding teacher quotas, but Costa says discussions are ongoing.

“The Government hopes that agreements can be reached with the Education Unions in order to start the next school year as normally as possible and I am convinced that as we all want the best for the children and young people who are returning to class in September, dialogue will bring our positions closer,” she said.