On Monday, June 1, primary schools reopened after 11 weeks for pupils attending grades 1-5. Schools have been closed since March, due to measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. An estimate based on preliminary data from individual regions shows that 60 to 70 percent of primary and nursery school pupils returned schools. Attending school is not compulsory, but voluntary, it has been left up to parents to decide whether to send their children back to school. Pupils in grades 5-9 will remain at home and continue to educate themselves remotely. Educational activities in schools will be provided by pedagogical and professional staff who do not belong to the risk group in terms of the threat of Covid-19. In primary schools, there can be a maximum of 20 pupils in one classroom. The parent should provide the child with two face-masks and paper handkerchiefs every day.
However, the demand for schools varies slightly across the regions. The parliamentary education committee chair Ľubomír Petrák (Smer-SD) pointed on Sunday to the fact that in some Roma communities only 4 percent of children are set to return to schools. At the same time, he also thinks that since schools are reopening so late into the school year, pupils and teachers should have completed the school year via online education instead.
According to Education Minister Branislav Gröhling, the demand for primary schools within Roma communities actually varies, and 100 percent of the parents of children attending some schools want them to go back. The minister stated on Sunday that he stands behind his decision to reopen schools, explaining that the main reason behind this is to allow teachers to assess the current state of their pupils' knowledge. Another reason, according to him, is to allow children to socialise. Gröhling noted that his ministry is still considering forms of summer school.
