AMMAN — Parents and experts interviewed by
Jordan
News on how they feel about the start of in-person second school semester
had mixed reactions, especially now that the number of
COVID-19 cases has
increased to unprecedented numbers.
اضافة اعلان
Member of the National Committee for Epidemiology
Najwa Khoury told
Jordan News that “we should learn how to coexist with
the epidemiological situation, especially since the closure of schools is not
the best solution; children must go to school and study, but they should adhere
to all the safety measures.”
Khoury said that “children see their friends outside
schools, and there are gatherings inside and outside schools, so why should we
prevent them of their right to go to school and learn?”
She added that children must be vaccinated, to raise
their immunity, “and schools should provide them with masks and sanitizers and
ensure that they are safe and commit to all the safety measures”.
While she said that she understands the concerns and
fears of some parents regarding the return to classroom education, “fear does
not protect us, we must learn how to control our fear and use it in the right
way; if someone is concerned about the pandemic they should adhere to the
safety measures, but at the same time, live, and enjoy life”.
Khoury said she expected an increase in the number
of COVID-19 cases in the upcoming days, but “what really matters is not the
number of cases, but the way we deal with infections. The epidemiological
situation is under control as long as we do not see a big number of patients
who need to be hospitalized”.
Khoury also said that that patients need to take the
necessary medicines and quarantine so they do not contribute to raising the
number of cases.
Farah Baddawi, a mother and English teacher, told
Jordan
News that she strongly agrees with the world’s tendency to integrate
technology into the educational process, “but not to rely on it completely,
and, unfortunately, this is what the COVID-19 pandemic imposed on us”.
“Hence our suffering, as
teachers, being the first
interface with students. The most important and most difficult was the weak
direct interaction between child and teacher. The presence of the child in
school, especially at this age, is most important in forming his social skills,
and its absence leads to psychological problems, and, therefore, poor
self-esteem,” Baddawi said.
She also said that screens rays cause great damage
to children’s brains and that forcing children to sit with a curved back or
neck for more than six hours a day harms them physically.
Baddawi said that distance learning may result in
lack of motivation, which makes children feel bored and isolated, in addition
to weakening language, social and oral skills, and children’s compliance with
discipline during lessons, as well as contributing to lack of control over
students during lessons.
“Hence, I say that we urgently need to return to
classroom education as soon as possible and take all possible safety measures
to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and learn to adapt to this
situation,” she said.
Reem Husban, a mother, told
Jordan News she
believes that the decision to return to classroom education will contribute to
a significant raise in the number of infections.
She said that
“health is a priority and my children’s safety is everything to me. I believe
that children can manage to take online classes, but cannot bear to get
infected”.
“Thank God I still did not get infected, however,
close friends of mine were infected and they were really tired. I cannot
imagine any of my children getting infected and I cannot imagine seeing them
tired or ill. COVID is not a joke, it makes the individual feel really sick,”
she said.
Maha Nawasreh, another mother, told
Jordan News that she supports the decision of returning back to classroom education, “but
not under such circumstances”.
She said that Jordan is registering unprecedented numbers
of infections. “We have not registered such numbers in the beginning of the
pandemic. The government imposed closures and restrictions when we used to
register hundreds of infections, and it wants children to get back to classroom
education when we register tens of thousands of infections each day.”
A source at the
Ministry of Education who spoke to
Jordan
News on condition of anonymity said that “if the National Committee for
Epidemiology noticed that it is unsafe for students to get back to classroom
education, they would have said that. The decision was based on a study of the
epidemiological situation that is still under control”.
The source also said that all concerned entities
care about the safety of students.
“Their safety is a priority for us all, and
therefore, we will ensure that they are sanitizing and wearing their masks all
the time, and of course adhering to physical distancing. The ministry strongly
supports the children vaccination campaign and strongly advices all children to
get vaccinated.”
He also said that the second semester begins after
two weeks, and therefore, we still have time to see how things go.
“We pray that the
epidemiological situations starts
to get better and that the wave starts to recede.”
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