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SCHOOLS

Schools: Italy plans new Covid quarantine and distance learning rules

As millions of children are due to return to class over the coming days, the Italian government is planning changes to school quarantine rules in its latest set of anti-Covid measures.

Children wait to enter a school in Italy in accordance with anti-Covid rules.
Distance learning rules in schools across Italy could change from January. Vincenzo PINTO / AFP

The Italian government is to meet on Wednesday to discuss further Covid regulations, including how to curb a rise in infections among schoolchildren but while also limiting distance learning.

One of the options is expected to detail a new quarantine requirement for students who test positive for Covid, and when distance learning – or ‘DAD‘ (‘didattica a distanza’) – will be activated.

So far, schools are due to reopen as planned between January 7th and 10th and the Christmas holidays won’t be extended, as had been discussed previously – although some municipalities or regions have individually decided to postpone their back-to-school date after the festive break.

Calendar: When do Italy’s Covid-19 rules change?

One idea being considered makes a distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. In the case of four positive cases detected in a class, there will be a week’s DAD and quarantine for all the pupils in the class, in addition to a testing requirement for the unvaccinated, if the vaccinated children have no symptoms.

As things stand in the draft decree, these are the potential changes for primary school and middle school students up to the sixth grade, reported news agency Ansa.

Under this threshold, everyone is expected to undergo self-monitoring and to wear FFP2 masks. Students are to be asked to only stay in family environments and not mix with other households, although these measures are still under review.

The current school rules dictate that the whole class will automatically go into quarantine only if there are three positives cases detected.

Authorities reduced this to one infection in November, but then reverted to the original plans just one day later.

Opinions are still divided on whether this will work or if a last-minute delay to restarting school would be more effective.

Vincenzo De Luca, the governor of Campania, has called for the return to the classroom to be postponed by 20-30 days to “cool down the contagion peak” and to “develop the largest possible vaccination campaign for the student population,” reports Sky Tg24 news.

For education minister Patrizio Bianchi, however, it is “fundamental to protect teaching in the classroom”, as has always been his line throughout the use of distance learning in the pandemic.

Decisions on rule changes in school will take into account the latest infection figures among school-age children.

The Italian Society of Paediatrics (SIP) stated that in the last week, about one infection in four are among children under 20. In a month, the number of people admitted to hospital under 19 increased by 791 – from 8,632 to 9,423.

“In recent weeks, in the five-11 age group, there have been 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a significant increase in incidence compared to other age groups,” said SIP President Annamaria Staiano.

Vaccination among the five-11 year-olds is still low, but they only began in mid-December for this category. Since Italy started immunising Italy’s 3.5 million children in this age group, 10 percent have now had one dose according to the latest figures, while some 403 children nationwide have fully completed the cycle.

EXPLAINED: How Italy will vaccinate five to 11 year-olds against Covid

This is compared to 70 percent vaccination coverage among 12-19 year-olds.

But vaccination rates alone have been criticised as a reason for triggering distance learning, failing to take into account the psychological impact on children.

“During this pandemic period, we have observed a more than significant increase in cases of psychiatric disorders in children: from anxiety disorders and depression to acts of self-harm and cases of attempted suicide. This is a huge social problem that must be prevented,” stated Staiano.

But De Luca claimed, “it is necessary to look at reality without falling into depression, to use reason to fight. Now we know that we don’t have a vaccine that is enough, we need the second and third dose. So patience is needed to govern this situation.”

These changes are set to be approved or rejected along with an extension to the ‘super green pass’ requirement for all workplaces. This will mark the third decree after the government already brought in two previous ones in as many weeks.

Member comments

  1. Vincenzo De Luca, the governor of Campania, is a dangerous lunatic and needs replacing immediately for abusing his platform to spout such nonsense.

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SCHOOLS

OPINION: Italian schools need to make parents’ lives easier, not harder

Italy's school schedules are very different to those in many other countries - and this puts working parents at a disadvantage, writes Silvia Marchetti.

OPINION: Italian schools need to make parents' lives easier, not harder

Most of my expat friends are baffled by the Italian school schedule: generally speaking, kids at public schools attend from 8.30am to 1.30pm, returning home for lunch.

This means parents who have full-time jobs must send the grandparents, or the nanny (at exorbitant cost), to fetch the children and take them home, feed them and make sure they do their homework, which there is often too much of – and looks to me like an attempt to compensate for the little time spent in class.

READ ALSO: ‘Very underfunded, very strict’: What readers think of Italy’s schools

Between the short days, the long holidays and the ponti, it’s a nightmare for working couples who are only able to manage if they can rely on two sets of grandparents (even though, for some, it isn’t always a joy looking after grandchildren), or aunts and uncles who most likely have also their own children to take care of.

I know many couples who regularly fight on Sundays over whose turn it is to ask friends or relatives for help with school logistics.

Also, in some areas of Italy, children still go to school on Saturday mornings and this just increases the difficulties for families having to also deal with a short weekend and little time to relax.

(Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP)

The schedule means parents need to come up with after-school plans so kids don’t get bored. Those who have a part-time job often go mad driving kids across the city for basketball or swimming lessons, when the school could have organised these. Private sports tuition in Italy is also very expensive for families with several children and a low income.

I’ve always been surprised myself by the lack of extra-curricular activities, like sports, pottery classes, arts and music labs, computer lessons, or anything that involves some kind of physical activity instead of sitting at a desk chair.

Traffic jams in Rome usually form at 1.30pm because cars line up outside schools the Italian way – practically in the middle of the street – to pick up hordes of screaming, hungry kids.

I grew up in American and British schools in Italy and abroad, and I never came home before 5pm. There was either some movie to watch for our English literature essay, painting lessons, or foreign language courses. Lunch was at school cafeteria, and it was the best part of the day.

These were all of course private schools, but I believe the Italian state could charge a minimum extra fee (certainly costing less than a nanny) for school meals and parents would be more than happy to pay it.

OPINION: Are Italy’s international schools really ‘international’?

When I lived in Jakarta in the afternoons we had swimming, volleyball, theatre, baseball and piano lessons. We had to attain a certain hours of social services, I chose to go to the local orphanages to bring toys and clothes and play with the little orphans. I also had very little homework, often none, or spread across the whole week given there was little time left to do it at home before dinner.

Some may argue the Anglo-American model drains family quality time, but actually it enhances it, because the end of the school day coincides with that of the parents’ working day.

There is also no such thing in Italy as using extra school hours, bar perhaps a few exceptions, to do social work which may benefit the community – like visiting orphanages, volunteering to help the poor and homeless, or doing something as fun as going to shelters to play with dogs, and ‘adopting’ one, while learning.

I have friends in Holland who are happy that their kids stay at school until 5pm, actively engaging in interesting activities (once they were even given lessons on how to build a snowman without slipping or getting hurt.) The public system in Holland takes of everything, even ensuring that the school-family balance is sustainable.

If only Italy could look abroad for some examples and implement them, Italian families could be much happier.

Unfortunately, the only debate going on about this is happening in homes or at the school gates, between mothers or grandparents or friends.

Italy’s politicians, even though they may have school-aged kids, have never so far addressed these challenges in parliament. Most likely because they can afford a nanny.

Do you agree or disagree with the opinions expressed in this article? Please leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts.

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