Covid19: School staff testing reveals "about one positive in every thousand"

Announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues

Tiago Brandão Rodrigues – Photo: Nuno Costa | Sul Informação (File)

The Minister of Education said today, 17 September, that Covid-19 tests carried out on teaching and non-teaching staff for the start of the school year revealed "about one positive" in every thousand, with 140 people being tested.

“We have 99% of teaching and non-teaching staff vaccinated, we already have a large percentage of students between 12 and 17 years old vaccinated, we have a set of very positive protocols in our schools, which reduce the risk, but importantly and in report that we had yesterday morning, I can say that in 140 thousand teachers and non-faculty we had a positivity of about 0,12%», referred Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, in Porto.

On a visit to Fontes Pereira de Melo School to mark the last day for the start of the 2021/2022 school year, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues considered that the school year that is now beginning «was probably the most difficult [year] to open».

"This shows that this testing is important but that the numbers are also the mirror that we have relatively low numbers in our schools, which also shows that we have confidence for the beginning of this school year," he said.

Tiago Brandão Rodrigues was confident in the start of the year, stressing that he sees himself as «the excited parents, the happy children», but considered the year that is starting now «the most difficult» to start.

“It even sounds easy and we know that opening a school year has never been so difficult. Everything is ready, everything is prepared so that this school year can be as close to normal as possible and that is what we all want and that is what we are prepared for», he said.

Asked about the doubts raised by Fenprof about the ability to recover learning after the periods of confinement that marked the academic year 2020/2021, the minister stressed that this is "a year of probation", showing confidence in the work of schools .

“Last year we had about 3 teachers, we had specialized technicians, psychologists, operational assistants, mediators, a group of professionals to fulfill the learning recovery plan,” he recalled.

“Union organizations have to understand that when they speak ill of the entire education system, when they speak ill of all the work being done in schools, they are also saying to the workers they represent that, in a way, they do not understand the work that they do it every day and that is clearly not positive”, said the minister.

 



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