LONDON – Schools in England and Wales will finally reopen on Tuesday for all new students after the COVID-19 epidemic forced its closure, which led to the boycott of exams and the dropping of students’ marks in a riot.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promised to revive schools before the summer break, but was forced to abandon those plans, contributing to criticism of his government’s handling of education during the crisis.
The Department of Education said there would be a management system in place to keep students and teachers safe, where public cut-offs would be maintained if possible.
Schools closed in March, with the exception of the children of senior staff, re-opened in June with only a less number of students. A study conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in August suggested that school closures increase education inequality between poor and rich students.
Concerns over the diversity of education intensified in August, when the government succumbed to pressure from angry students, teachers and legislators to scrap an algorithm that reduced A-results of about 40% of school leavers, and those in disadvantaged areas were severely affected.
“Staff want and expect children to return to school. Every day school closings were a day of opportunity, learning and support was lost. The situation has been exacerbated by fiasco trials and the way the government has negotiated education, ”said opposition leader Keir Starmer.
“We cannot continue to repeat the same mistakes. The future of young people cannot be held back by the misconduct of the Conservatives. ”