Minister "confident" about the new school year

Pupils over the age of six need to wear masks; outdoors they can be removed if there is the required social distancing. | Josep Bagur Gomila

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma26/08/2021 15:15

On Thursday, Marti March, the Balearic education minister, stated that there was an air of confidence regarding the new school year. Speaking the day after an educational sector conference (regional ministers and the Spanish government), March outlined measures that were discussed, schools facing a quite different situation to last year because of the vaccination rollout.

The regions have been in discussion with the government since June in preparing for the school year, which begins in the Balearics on September 10. Despite the advances with vaccination, however, March stressed that preventive measures against Covid must be maintained and protocols followed. "We have the Delta variant, and other variants may appear. Therefore, we cannot lower our guard as the virus is very much still with us."

March added that experience gained over the last year had been "priceless" and will assist in facing any new challenges. He hoped that there will be "coherence between the protocols within the school and outside", as he accepted that there are concerns with extracurricular activities unrelated to schools themselves.

Face-to-face teaching is the objective for the coming school year, and ventilation will be one of the fundamental elements for guaranteeing safety in schools. Pupils over the age of six will still need to wear masks, as will staff, but certain other measures are being relaxed slightly, e.g. the degree of social distancing.