Unconfirmed: St.

The Kosovo Ministry of Education and Government have decided that the start of the new school year will be postponed until 13 September, as a result of the pandemic situation.

TIMEn Sources Within the government have announced the time the decision was made today during a meeting between the two institutions.

On Wednesday after the August meeting with the Communist Association, it was said that the new school year is expected to begin on September 1st with physical presence, but that this decision has changed today.

Education Minister Arberie Nagavci, through a Facebook post today, has said that return to school should be safe, and that the children's interest will be at the heart of its decisions.

She has said that the goal is to open schools and to keep instruction on regular time and physical participation.

“Day I attended the College Meeting for Education Association of Communists of Kosovo with Municipal Directors Education and we discussed preparations that were made for the start of the new school year 2021/2022. All directors announced that they have made preparations for the start of the new school year, the percentage of vaccinated teachers and administrative personnel reported, and that they are ready for the opening of schools with physical student presence. We at the ministry have also made all necessary preparations to keep schools open and so that instruction can be conducted on regular time and physical participation in school institutions. We've reviewed the Guide for Education Organisation under the conditions of inconvention, the protocols for teaching, and it's been worked on the scenario that allows for a regular school return according to the recommendations of the adequate institutions. We have also begun distributing textbooks and other necessary preparations. As we have stated, we aim to keep the schools open and the instruction under regular time and physical participation in school institutions because all studies show the major consequences to children due to the closure of school institutions. Reports of learning during the pandemic speak of barriers to access to regular learning, loss of learning, growth of inequality, and long-term consequences of intellectual, military and psychosonic development. So, closing schools should be the last decision on measures to prevent the spread of pandemic”, Nagavci wrote.