On those same dates the distance education modality will begin. The official also provided details on technical and rural high schools.
The return to face-to-face classes with 100% of the capacity is not suspended, but the dates were rescheduled, as a preventive measure against the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The issue was clarified by the Minister of Education, María Brown, on the afternoon of November 30 at a press conference.
Initially, it was expected that the total presence will be in December and January. The minister presented the new approved schedule.
For the Sierra and Amazonia regime, in institutions with a face-to-face operating permit, the return with 100% capacity will be on February 7, 2022. That is, the students, in their entirety, will return to the classrooms for the start of the second semester of the 2021-2022 cycle.
In the case of the Costa regime, face-to-face classes will be fully reactivated on May 3, after the summer holidays, with the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
While these dates are reached, Brown explained, the Ministry of Education will continue to receive and approve the Institutional Plans for Educational Continuity (PICE) in establishments that comply with biosafety measures and capacity of 2.25 square meters per person.
The official detailed the evolution of the face-to-face assistance program, which began on June 7, 2021 with 940 educational institutions and one million students. Until November 26, 10,053 establishments were registered. By the time full attendance resumes, in February and May next year, 4’314,777 students are expected to attend classes in the cantons that have passed 85% complete vaccination in the population between 5 and 17 years old.
As for the contingency plan in Mount Sinaí, in the northwest of Guayaquil, this will begin once the presence in the Costa regime is resumed. Meanwhile, work will be done on the intervention of the educational infrastructure.
The Secretary of State specified that the institutions that had the PICE approved, and whose students already attend physically, will be able to continue with normality, respecting the capacity and biosafety measures.
Distance education offer
During the press conference, Brown pointed out that a survey is currently being carried out to measure the interest of the population about the establishments that will offer distance education.
According to the schedule, between January 24 and February 4, 2022, applications for enrollment and transfers will be received, for the second quarter of the Sierra and Amazon regime, at the Arupos educational institution. They would start distance classes on February 7, the same day that the presence in other centers returns.
On the other hand, in the Costa regime, registration applications will be collected between April 11 and 24; while for transfers it will be in two moments: from March 28 to April 9, and from April 27 to May 1. Classes will begin on May 3 at the Guayacanes establishment.
Technical and rural baccalaureate
These levels of education resumed their presence on November 22; however, the measure has been revised, said Brown, and pointed out that there are professional figures that will remain in this modality.
In this group there are first, second and third year high school students who follow the technical areas: agriculture, industrial, artistic and sports.
On the other hand, students from the technical areas of services and information and communication technologies (ICT) will attend blended with flexible hours and maximum capacity of 2.25 square meters per person, completing the process with autonomous work (with long distance education).
In rural high schools, the implementation of the return to 100% of the capacity will continue, except in those establishments that do not have the necessary infrastructure conditions. The productive technical baccalaureates will attend the classrooms in person, in their entirety. (I)
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