Downwards epidemiological trend, essential condition for students' return to school in physical presence

A downward epidemiological trend is the essential condition for the students' return to school in physical presence, while testing children and vaccinating staff are favoring conditions, the Minister of Education, Sorin Cimpeanu, declared on Thursday, for public TV broadcaster TVR1.

The meeting on Thursday with president Klaus Iohannis took place "in a very responsible note, where the quick return of all students to school being a major objective, as long as there is confirmation of a downward epidemiological trend", the minister added.

"There will be another analysis made towards the end of April, in order to have new data about the evolution of the epidemiological trend. However, on May 4, for all students, apart from the senior classes, the return to school will occur after the known scenarios," Cimpeanu highlighted.

"I do not understand why students in the fourth grade can physically come to school, the entire class, and that is a good thing, and those in the eighth grade, who have their national evaluation exam and are on the same hallway, during the same timeframe, in identical classrooms, must be halved. It is difficult to logically explain this condition. Epidemiological requirements which surpass the competence and understanding of the Ministry of Education. We are trying to better communicate (with the Ministry of Health, ed. n), in order to communicate in a professional manner, but we are hitting this wall of imposing classes to be halved, without having the competence of breaking down these arguments, because the Ministry of Education does not have a medical direction," Sorin Cimpeanu said.AGERPRES