Pandemic and school, the only certain thing: chaos

(by Rosangela Cesareo) Lucia Azzolina, minister of education, said that distance learning in this pandemic was a success.

I think of a joke, satire, Crozza who imitates her. I'm wrong, he said it seriously. It is serious.

After two months of closed schools, the minister drew his conclusions that the so-called DAD is going very well.

This sort of self-celebration of an improvised service without any preparation by anyone, has generated difficult and complicated circumstances that stand in the daily lives of Italian families under quarantine, in the life of parents who have to work more than before to face the worrying economic crisis from home in smartworking, but they must also take care of the home, cooking, looking after children of all ages, managing slow PCs and internet connections and bands that do not hold the multitude of connections.

Minister Azzolina has no children, runs a ministry, but managing a family in a state of crisis is another thing. Managing everything and everyone in this terrible moment has delicate, fragile balances, which break apart is a moment and the consequences are many, too many and then remedying is not at all simple.

Imagine a 50sqm house, a family who lives there with two children, often three, only one computer available with difficult connections.

Primary school children who do not understand what is happening around them, who believe that "closed schools" means vacation and instead are forced into the chairs by their parents who, while trying to work, remain with their eyes on them, eyes that they electrocute each movement, forcing them to study, a study which thus loses the beauty of knowledge. While the even younger son wants to play, eat, he has a tantrum because he wants to go to the park on the swing, on the slide and you can't.

I would like to ask the minister to witness a "normal" day of DAD live. Whole lessons of: "do you feel master?"; "I have no line!"; "I don't see screen sharing!"; "I don't hear anymore!"; "My camera is locked!" and I could go on for fifty minutes, which is the duration of a lesson.

Then there are, alas, schools made even worse, those that have never started using the web to teach their pupils. This is the situation to date, after two months.

And what will happen next?

I heard this: three days one half of pupils will be physically in the classroom and the other half connected connected online, the other three days will exchange.

Ergo: chaos in chaos. More total. More and more families in jeopardy.

I still read that health will be protected in this way. With this method? And who says that? Covid has not told anyone how it will behave in September.

Meanwhile, six months will pass, a long time to intervene in a determined and effective way on the ict system of Italian schools, on the preparation of buildings, classrooms, gardens, on technology education, on programming of ultra-broadband for everyone, but above all on the delivery of a PC to all the families who need it.

Because, all children must have the right to study in the same way as others, without any difference.

And again, the school must speak to the children, explain to them what is happening and what will or will happen. We must prepare them for all possible variables and school must do so, the only authority recognized by children in this matter.

We must protect the future of our children and without culture it is not possible.

To date there are no guidelines, schools continue to grope in the dark in the company of Italian families.

Pandemic and school, the only certain thing: chaos