Pandemic Numbers Growth Must Guide Us to More Strictly and Consistently Adhere to Rules - Zhanna Andreasyan

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan, expressed on her Facebook page: "During the conference held by UNESCO yesterday, marking one year with COVID, one of the main speakers emphasized a very important point: schools should be the last to close during a pandemic and the first to reopen. Statistics suggest that most countries operate in this way. Whereas last year at this time, the educational systems in 173 countries were completely closed, currently only 33 countries have taken such measures, as numerous studies indicate the irreversible consequences of digital divides, new types of inequalities, and total remote education on children's development, particularly in elementary grades.

The duration statistics of school closures due to the pandemic in various countries show that in most countries, including a significant number of European countries, schools have been closed for thirty weeks or more. There are countries, such as many in South America, where schools have been closed for over forty weeks. In the case of Armenia, the figure is 12 weeks. At the same time, I would like to remind that since the beginning of the year, we have adopted a situational approach, organizing temporary remote learning based on the number of cases in schools and centralized remote learning for at-risk children.

The growth in pandemic numbers must guide us all to more strictly and consistently adhere to the rules to maintain the possibility of in-person education.