Schools have already received the funds to buy the masks that they will distribute free of charge to students and staff, and some educational establishments are planning to have extra equipment so that no one is prevented from entering the school.
Within a month, when the new school year starts, only the smallest students will be able to enter school without a mask, since from the 2nd cycle onwards, its use is mandatory.
«The mask will be the most important school material, because without it, they are prevented from entering school. The manuals are essential, but they can get into school if they leave them at home, the same will not happen with the mask», warned Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Directors of Groupings and Public Schools (ANDAEP), in statements to Lusa.
According to figures put forward by the minister of Education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, the Government is going to spend around seven million euros to guarantee masks and other personal protective equipment for schools so that they can return to school in September.
The schools have already received the funds to buy the material that will be made available free of charge by students and staff: it will be a kit with three washable masks that will be used for the first period of classes, since «each mask can be washed 25 times», explained Filinto Lime.
Manuel Pereira, president of the National Association of School Directors (ANDE), added that it is necessary to open public tenders to choose the company from whom they will buy the masks and other materials, believing that within a month everything will be ready to receive the students safely .
To ensure that no one is prevented from entering the school grounds, management is already planning solutions, such as having masks in the school stationery.
In addition to the masks, when classes start, schools will also have individual protective equipment, ranging from aprons to gloves and visors to alcohol-based solutions.
Personal protective equipment had also been guaranteed at the end of last school year, when schools reopened to receive students from the 11th and 12th grades.
Classes for the next school year start between the 14th and 17th of September, with a start with face-to-face teaching being planned, but schools are preparing themselves in case they have to move to a mixed or distance education system, depending on the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the past academic year, the Government decided to close all educational establishments and in mid-March students no longer had face-to-face classes and started to have distance learning.
Only the older students – from 11th and 12th grades – returned to schools in the third period to return to face-to-face classes.
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