AUR asks gov't to give up online school and not to put pressure on pupils, teachers to vaccinate

The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) calls on the government to eliminate the provision that makes it possible to switch to online school from a cumulative incidence of COVID cases greater than 6/1,000 and "not to put pressure on students and teachers to get vaccinated." "After the bad experience of the previous school year, we believe that closing schools is an excessive measure considering the danger that is supposed to prevent it. It has a negative impact on the educational process, leading to a decrease in cognitive skills and knowledge level, and prevents the fulfillment of the quality and efficiency requirements that the National Education Law requires imperatively. More than that, socializing and interacting with others are part of the larger educational process, with a negative impact, when missing, on the psychological health of the first beneficiaries of the educational process - the pupils," said Claudiu Tarziu, co-chair of AUR, according to a press release. According to MP George Simion, co-chair of AUR, the efficiency, and quality of the educational process decreased dramatically last year. "Minister Sorin Cimpeanu himself acknowledged that the online school was a disaster. Also, in terms of health, there was no benefit after closing schools, as it was not found that schools would have a major influence in increasing the incidence rate of COVID-19. Children with special educational needs and children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been particularly affected by the switch to online classes, and their marginalization has deepened," said Simon. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians also warns the Citu Government not to try to force pupils and teachers to get vaccinated. "Vaccination is voluntary and health can only be conceptualized and managed if the fundamental human rights are observed, especially the right of adults to autonomy and the right of parents to represent the best interests of their children," the AUR press release said. AGERPRES (RO-author: Catalina Matei, editor: Mihai Simionescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)