Just over 3,300 students from the terminal grades of Secondary Education will return to the classrooms this October 4, when the presence of the 2020-2021 school year is resumed in the province in almost all educational centers, with the exception of three: the two pedagogical schools (Ciego de Ávila and Morón) and the Ramón Paz Borroto Polytechnic Center (Venezuela).

 This was explained to Invasor by Norberto Roche Noa, methodological deputy director of the Provincial Directorate of Education, and added that this enrollment corresponds to the twelfth grade of pre-university, third and fourth years of pedagogical training, and the third of Professional Technical Education.

Complying with the hygienic and organizational measures arranged to face COVID-19, the schools have been certified by the Health and Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology directorates in each municipality, with the aim of preserving the health of students and teachers. "In previous periods, even when positive cases were detected, a transmission event was never opened within schools," Roche Noa said and stressed that families are required not to go to the centers with respiratory symptoms.

Of the 10 schools with an internal regime that the province has, seven will open their classrooms, including the Cándido González Pre-University Vocational Institute of Exact Sciences. In the case of the two pedagogical schools, their students will receive classes in their municipalities of residence. The rest of the scholarship pupils will return on Sunday, October 3 and the collection will be at 2:00 past meridian at the usual points.

Regarding the school uniform and its new designs, the Deputy Director of Education in the territory announced that the 2020-2021 academic year will be developed with the same clothing as until now.

“We know that many students grew or gained weight and uniforms do not work for them; in those cases, the school management will reconcile with the parents the colors of the clothes that they will be able to use, since undersized skirts, shorts, sleeves and too flashy outfits will not be allowed”. The newly designed uniform is planned for use in the 2021-2022 school year in the early grades.

As explained by authorities of the Ministry of Education, the restart of the school year will require curricular adjustments, so that in 19 weeks (until February 2022) the teaching objectives can be met. "The first two will be dedicated to the comprehensive diagnosis of students, not only from an academic point of view, but also psychological and emotional, since many families from Ciego de Ávila lived very difficult times and those experiences have effects on young people." The following 14 will be to systematize the content broadcast on television and impart new ones, and three for the closing of the evaluation.

In this sense, Roche Noa states, teachers should pay differentiated attention, based on this diagnosis. Each school will be able to adjust the frequencies of the subjects depending on the structural and organizational conditions, always fulfilling what is expected at each stage. "The most important thing is that learners can meet the learning objectives and come out with the necessary knowledge."

Ciego de Ávila is today in a better situation from the point of view of teaching coverage, since more than 95 percent of the places are covered and there are alternatives to solve that remaining five percent.

Norberto Roche represented the contribution of Ciego de Ávila`s educators in more than 18 months of confrontation with COVID-19.

“The province had 28 schools converted into isolation and medical assistance centers; today they are only kept busy 11. Nevertheless, our teachers were from the first day in the Red Zone, as messengers, in cleaning brigades…The effort has been enormous and very worthwhile. We extend our gratitude and respect to everyone."