Reopening schools in September, given the current scenario is an unrealistic proposition which needs to be reconsidered and not promoted, the Union of Professional Educations said in a statement on Wednesday.

The UPE said that it is “the first to hope that schools will re-open in September and that this nightmare is left behind us all.”

“The union fully realises that students of all ages are feeling the impact of this imposed social withdrawal, and is fully aware that the negative impact that prolonged closure will have on their academic progress might be irreversible”, the union said.

“It also, however, realises that should the circumstances not be propitious, taking a step in that direction bodes no good in the long-term. The union thus has its reservations on this insistence on the part of the government to open schools and keep the educational system rolling, should the numbers continue to rise at the rate at which they are currently doing”, it continued.

The government, through both the Prime Minister Robert Abela and the Education Minister Owen Bonnici, have insisted that schools remain on course to open and physically welcome students with all the necessary precautions in place.

The UPE said that last March, the government and health authorities had set a benchmark in terms of the number of cases required for school closure, noting that on the first day of school closure there were only 12 cases on the island, all of which were imported.

The number is a pittance compared with the 486 active cases currently present in the country.

“Thus, the union asks, why is it that Skola Sajf has not been closed? Where does the benchmark currently stand when it comes to possible school closure? The union feels that the original benchmark is way far behind us and considers this action to be of utmost importance to public health.”

The union said that it had received a lot of concerns and fears of what case numbers could be once children start school and what could happen when social distancing is inevitably relaxed.

Given all of the above the UPE said that it had begun working on a strategic plan aiming to ensure the safe reopening of schools, bearing in mind its vulnerable members, as well as those children who fall within the vulnerable portion of society. These proposals will be forwarded to the government for perusal once the exercise is complete, the UPE said.

“As things stand, the government is using the parameters of Skola Sajf as the model to follow for the re-opening of schools. The union, however, feels that this should not be the case, as Skola Sajf caters for much smaller numbers and social distancing can be guaranteed much more easily than in a normal school environment.”

 “The virus still insinuated itself in this “controlled” environment, so what are we to expect should the numbers in schools expand tenfold? How are our vulnerable educators going to be safeguarded? How are our vulnerable children going to be protected? How can we veritably look at all these people in the eye and state that their health and safety is going to be guaranteed?”

“To conclude, the UPE feels that reopening schools in September, given the current scenario, is an unrealistic proposition which needs to be reconsidered, and not promoted.”