Union of Education Norway: The situation in schools and kindergartens is serious

Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB

The situation is serious – there are high infection rates in many places and record-high sickness absence among employees in kindergartens and schools, according to the Union of Education Norway.

“Experienced school leaders and officials say that they have never experienced anything like this,” Union of Education Norway leader Steffen Handal told NTB.

Earlier Monday, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions went out to the National Association of Schools and demanded that the traffic light model in schools and kindergartens be reestablished and that the “yellow” level be set as a standard throughout the country.

Handal says that he does not have infection control expertise, so he can’t assess whether the traffic light model is the right measure.

The traffic light model

The model was developed as an infection control measure before a large proportion of people in Norway were vaccinated. Now the situation is somewhat different, he believes.

“Both teachers and leaders in schools and kindergartens considered the traffic light model as very labor-intensive to use,” Handal said.

He believes that political and infection control authorities must consider the possible reintroduction of the traffic light model at a national level, but he also warns against measures that could create further capacity problems.

“We have to solve this in collaboration with the authorities. As the situation is now, I think we should allow individual leaders in kindergartens and schools to reduce the offer if they do not have access to enough personnel. I think this is the only way we can manage to keep schools and kindergartens open,” Handal noted.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayEducation

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