Jalisco is ready and prepared to return to the classrooms for the next school year 2021-2022, assures the Governor of the State, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez.
Jalisco has remained at a green traffic light for 6 weeks, registering around 3% in its positivity rate and 5.8% in its hospital occupancy, and more than 161,000 doses were applied to all educational personnel. The attendance of the students will be optional, at the consideration of mothers, fathers, and guardians.
It was also announced that random tests will be carried out in schools to detect Covid-19 cases early.
“The return to face-to-face will be optional, to be clear. If a parent considers that it is not safe for their children to return to school, they will have the possibility of leaving them at home and having an effective distance education program. We have made every effort so that this can be done and that is why I say… the return for the next school year will be optional, "remarked the president.
By August, the president insisted, face-to-face assistance will be given in an orderly and safe manner, with all health protocols and the guarantee of a dignified infrastructure in the campuses. As the remote model is a success, the alternative is left for the return to classes, for which the Government of Jalisco already has a 70% advance in the installation of the Jalisco NETWORK in the schools, and at the end of the year it will reach 100% of the properties. It is expected that the return to the classrooms will take place at the beginning of the 2021-2022 School Cycle, next August.
The Government of Jalisco decided since August 2020 to authorize the first activities in schools, beginning with individual face-to-face counseling. Then in March the academic monitoring groups were implemented and by May 17, after the vaccination of educational personnel, the campuses reopened to provide orientation to students and parents.
Dr. Gabriela Mena, general director of Prevention and Health Promotion of the Jalisco Health Secretariat, insisted on the viability of face-to-face assistance as Jalisco has had a green traffic light for six weeks, in addition to the constant decrease in confirmed and active cases. As of this Tuesday, there are 770 active cases throughout the Jalisco territory, in addition, the positivity rate was decreased to 3%, and hospital occupancy registers 5.8%.
"The WHO indicates that a rate below 5% reflects the control of the disease in a certain territory," said the doctor.
Regarding the health issue, he stressed that during the period of vaccination against COVID-19 to all educational personnel of the entity, more than 161,000 doses were applied. In addition, a sum greater than 220 million pesos was reported in the purchase of supplies such as gel, soap, chlorine, thermometers, face masks, sanitizing kits, paint, waterproofing, electrical material, and hydrosanitary material for the opening of schools.
Anna Bárbara Casillas, General Strategic Coordinator of Social Development, reported that random tests will be carried out within the Jalisco Radar System to identify cases and cut chains of contagion. She said that special emphasis will be placed on the municipalities where the indicators are higher, since the pandemic has not ended.
For his part, the Secretary of Education, Juan Carlos Flores Miramontes, mentioned that education will never be like before because the pandemic promoted digitization and transformed the traditional teaching-learning processes.
The Ministry of Education carries out 12 strategic actions to continue providing the distance educational service and advance on the route back to physical attendance, including the construction of the Jalisco NETWORK, which in August will operate in 70% of the schools and by the end of 2021 in all schools.
The official stressed that with this service, teachers and students will be able to make the most of the didactic content available on the Recrea Digital platform. “Connectivity will allow us to have the highway, but it was also very important to work on the content that was going to pass through that platform. We assume that the digital will not go away; we want a hybrid education from now on in Jalisco," he added.
He also highlighted that the RecreApp application currently has more than 2.6 million users, who can access digital resources of great educational value.
David Zamora Bueno, head of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, reported that 440 facilities are currently being comprehensively intervened, of which 255 are fully concluded, 185 in process. Of them 166 will be completed by the end of July, all campuses are expected to be completed by the last week of August.
General work is done to ensure teachers and students that there are urgent interventions in 164 schools that had been reported via the Ministry of Education and INFEJAL.
"We will continue working to complete all the executive projects to be able to have in their entirety the 438 schools visited that present damage, and will be scheduled as budget becomes available," said Zamora.
It is contemplated to carry out a socio-emotional evaluation and a diagnostic assessment of the learning of primary and secondary students, with the aim of knowing the emotional state of the students of basic education, promoting the strengthening of socio-emotional education, and generating a reference of the academic achievement in expected learning of basic education during the pandemic.
“Jalisco was the first state that, to take care of the health and life of everyone, suspended classes in the country at the beginning of the pandemic, and Jalisco is the state that is most advanced in its preparation process for the return to face-to-face classes. This gives us pride and it is the products of the work of many people, women and men who have understood the importance of taking this step and are able to look forward to the future with hope,” concluded the Governor.