The Minister of Education of Andorra, Ester Vilarrubla, appeared on Monday to announce the latest decisions.
· Connectivity for virtual home-schooling: 270 tablets have been loaned to pupils through the Ministry’s loan service and, with the help of AndorraTelecom, 67 families unconnected to wifi now have access to the internet.
· Dining: The dining service has not been charged in order to alleviate the increase in household expenses. The money paid directly to the dinner centres to cover free lunches has been returned to the Government.
· App b-resolver: It is an extensive application for all students over 12 years old. Originally designed to combat bullying, it has been reinvented to also help against distress or anxiety caused by the current situation. As of today, 5 alerts have been received.
· Web: through the page www.infoeducacio.ad, you can find all the information related to school transport, calendar, help, and other education related topics
Future measures:
· Yesterday virtual teaching resumed (after the Easter break) At the earliest we will resume school on 1st June. A document has been created with guidelines for teachers of all the educational systems (Andorran, French and Spanish), with the objectives set in the current situation, what type of activities should be followed and the importance of direct contact with families for the monitoring of educational activities among others. For students with disabilities, the teaching calendar is also being followed. In terms of mentoring, work is also underway to assess the emotional needs of students.
· Baccalaureate Examinations: The 2020 Baccalaureate examinations have been suspended. Continuous assessment and students’ research work will be used to qualify each student, with the condition that they resume the virtual daily classes and have the correct attitude towards the work they are asked to do. From 1st June, preparation for university examinations will be intensified.
· With regard to free candidates, official exams are not suspended. They will be taken in June, be it virtually or in person.
· Vocational Training: These baccalaureate examinations have also been suspended, grading students based on continuous assessment. As for work placements, some students have already been able to do them. For the moment, the rest will not be cancelled, and will be performed if necessary, reducing the length of stay at the practice.
· The examinations for the Diploma of Professional Education have been cancelled with the same conditions of continuous evaluation as the other tests
· Proposals have been received from high school students, to help denote their maturity.
· School Calendar: The calendar is being kept as published. Virtual teaching will continue until May. Pentecost Holiday Week will be as indicated. And the school course will be completed as planned. There will be no academic activity this summer, but other support and activities will be organized to help alleviate the negative effects of this situation.
· Pre-enrolment at schools has been open since 1st April. Registration for vocational training was opened yesterday. As for School Transportation and grants, they will open online in mid-May.
· Childcare Service: 100 requests have been received, and the education service has spoken to all the families. The service is not need immediately, but for the second phase (when parents return to work). The authorities already have the centre and protocol set up.
