Education department to deliver connectivity packs to families without internet

The department of education will begin distributing internet and computer data packs this week to ensure connectivity for families with difficulties so that students can go ahead with the third trimester, which begins this Tuesday. 

The minister of education, Josep Bargalló, said in a radio interview that the goal is to help 52,000 families who have some deficiency - connection, data, or device - and that the first 22,000 will begin to be sent to families this week, but the first students won't receive the packs until next Monday. The first families that will be attended to will be those who have no connection or device. 

The minister says that the aim of the third term must be to keep schools in contact with all students and to ensure that they do not lose studying or reading habits. The department's effort to ensure connectivity also goes along this line, and "in no case" is it intended to get students to complete the entire syllabus from home.

"Now the agenda is the least important. The most important thing is the accompaniment and the contact," the minister explained. Bargalló states that this "has not been and will not be a normal" academic year and that the final grade will only be important in those courses that involve a change of cycle or come to completion.

Back to school this term

All educational activity was halted in Catalonia on March 13 due to the Covid-19 crisis, affecting 1.8 million students and around 100,000 teachers.

As for a return to education, Bargalló is confident that this trimester can be undertaken and students won’t have to wait until September. Although the decision is up to the health authorities, the minister says that students, the entire education system, and society as a whole "need" to resume the term.

"It would be great if we could do it and we are already working on the reopening. We hope we can and we would like to be able to start it in a week," the minister outlines. Bargalló hopes that if the evolution of the coronavirus crisis continues to be positive, "schools should be open" before the end of the school year.