Opening the working discussion on the topic of preparation for the beginning of academic year, Vadim Krasnoselsky noted that there was a month left before its start. The President pointed out that it is necessary to resume the activities of preschool educational institutions in order to reasonably distribute the load by the end of summer. He recalled that there are about one and a half hundred secondary schools in the republic. All personnel must be tested for COVID-19 by September 1. We are talking about 10000 educators. The tests must be conducted no earlier than three days before the teachers start working. The Heads of state administrations were instructed to develop a clear schedule, train health workers and organize express testing directly in each school. Vadim Krasnoselsky focused on the fact that mass testing of employees of the educational sphere will certainly increase the detection rate of carriers of the virus. In this regard, coronavirus hospitals should be on high alert to increase the number of patients in late August and early September, the President emphasized.
As for organization of the educational process in the context of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the mechanism should be developed by August 10. The Ministry of Education have to prepare a clear scheme for the location of schools throughout the republic, indicating the level of their staffing and technical support. This is necessary for a clear understanding of the possibility of organizing a combined education system in each educational institution, which will include studying both in the conditions of a full-time learning and remote learning. Schools will be conditionally divided into three categories - depending on a number of students. Small students will continue to conduct the educational process in the traditional mode, as they will be able to ensure the placement of students in classes at a safe distance from each other. Schools, the number of students of which is estimated at several hundred or even exceeds a thousand people, were proposed to be transferred to three-shift work: shift I - primary classes, II - from 5 to 8, III - 9-11. The number of lessons held daily at the site of the educational institution will be minimized. The academic hour will probably be shortened as well. It is assumed that in conditions of direct contact with the teacher, lessons in mathematics (algebra and geometry), native language, physics and chemistry will be held (the issue is being discussed). The rest of the disciplines are offered to be taught remotely. The daily schedule of lessons should take into account both forms of the learning process, emphasized Vadim Krasnoselsky. Schools, the staffing of which will be classified as secondary, will be able to organize studies not in three, but in two shifts.
The Ministry of Education, together with the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, was instructed to prescribe clear regulations for organizing the educational process according to the indicated principle, not only for schools, but also for secondary technical and higher educational institutions. The forced reformatting of activities of the education sector will require serious government spending. It is necessary to purchase about 2000 computers for schools and provide fiber-optic Internet networks to educational institutions. In addition, disinfection lamps will be installed in educational institutions. The President noted during the meeting that the Government is already working in this direction.
The theme of the upcoming First Bell holiday was not ignored. It was decided that only pupils of the first and final grades will take part in celebratory assembly this year.
