Covid19 has disrupted the school system in Serbia and, for more than 6 months, students did not have a normal education. Will that have long-term consequences?
At the beginning of the new school year, on 1st September 2020, teachers had to meet their new first-grade students, children who are only 6 or 7 years old. Before roll-call, they had to put on facemasks and disinfect their hands with alcohol. Instead of seeing their lovely and curious faces, teachers could only see their confused eyes. Instead of receiving some candy, students got their hands disinfected. That was a stressful beginning for 66.000 of our youngest students and their parents.
After The World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on 11th March, the Republic of Serbia declared a state of emergency on the 15th. It was in the middle of the school year in Serbia.
Primary-level schooling is compulsory in Serbia. It’s divided into Lower and Upper Grades, with students from 6 to 14 years old. The school year begins on 1st September and ends in June. Covid-19 was discovered during this period and changed the way the school system worked. From 16th March till the end of school year (June 2020), school classes worked only online. The Serbian government closed every educational institution (preschools, schools and universities) in an attempt to contain the spread of the disease.
The curriculum was broadcast through the public service broadcaster of the Serbian Radio and Television. It was like a miracle, the way the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development organized the broadcast of school lessons on TV in a couple of days. Students followed the classes on television and also through many online platforms, like Viber, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Facebook Messenger… Teachers were online all the time. They sent lessons and school assignments to students through the online platforms. That was the only way for students to get their grades.
Parents had many problems with this situation. Many of them work from 7am to 3pm, but had to take care of their children, who needed to follow the curriculum on TV and submit assignments through Viber.
Preventative measures for the new school year
As Covid-19 has not disappeared, the new school year (2020/2021) began on 1st September under new conditions, due to the disease. Every student had the option to choose the way they would be taught: by distance learning (online) or in person, in the classroom. As the Serbian Minister of Education Sarcevic said, 97% of parents supported their children going back to school.
Every classroom is divided into two groups, with a maximum of 15 students in each group. Students, teachers and school staff must wear masks and keep physical distance. On an everyday level, school staff need to clean and disinfect classrooms. Everybody in the school building must, also, disinfect their own hands.
Some subjects are only available online like music, fine art and religion. If a student doesn’t feel well, he/she must leave the school building. Parents have to take their children’s temperature before sending them to school. Classes have been cut from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. Education inspectors are checking daily to see whether preventive measures are being implemented in schools.
Potential problems with new circumstances
Many teachers are not satisfied with the new conditions in schools. First, they were not consulted, even though, other than the parents, they spend the most time with the children. Teachers are not so sure about whether there will be a spread of the Covid-19 virus among children. The Minister of Education, Sarcevic, stated that children in school are in the safest place.
“Schools are today the safest place, where the possibility of transmission is much lower than in parks and sports areas where children socialize outside the school,” said Sarcevic.
“To this day, the number of infected students in schools is not big”, said chief of the WHO in Serbia, Marjan Ivanusa. “We should take advantage of this good epidemiological situation and enable children to attend school and socialize with their peers.”
He stated that the recommendation of the WHO, but also of other organizations, such as UNICEF, is that children go to school if the epidemiological situation allows it.
Teachers are worried for the quality of the education. They must teach a normal curriculum, but that’s almost impossible because classes only last 30 minutes. Also, students can’t work in pairs or groups, which is very important for them, in terms of socialization and team work.
In rural areas, there are problems with internet communications and phone networks. It’s hard to apply distance learning there because online platforms are not appropriate.
The impact of Covid-19 on students’ mental health
While the population in Serbia has been in lockdown, the most concerning problems for students are around their mental health because they were not allowed to socialize with their friends. They spent most of their time on the internet with their laptops, mobile phones or tablets. Experts warned that isolation could have an impact on mental health, both short-term and long-term.
On the other hand, when lockdown was over, students again had to face mental health struggles. As they returned to school, students struggled with various difficulties. These have included fear, anxiety, transition, relationships, adapting, concentration, and engagement.
If we look the percentage of students who choose to start new school year in person (97%), we can imagine how much they missed going to school. They realised that distance learning is not sufficient.
While some countries in the world conducted a survey and did research about the impact of Covid-19 on students’ mental health, in Serbia there has been no such research yet. But many experts say that a normal school routine is crucial for children. Also, children with special needs are at high risk when they are away from school and not able to access the support that helps them to reach their potential. Away from school, students have problems acquiring knowledge and getting good grades. With 30-minute classes, it’s hard to achieve. This has led to stress for students.
One further factor is finance. This Covid-19 pandemic caused a big economic crisis and many parents lost their jobs. This created difficulties for many families. Parents have to handle all this at the same time as school lessons cannot wait.
Last but not least is the confusion caused to children by groups of parents who don’t support wearing masks. These parents signed petitions against the imposition of masks. The “I live for Serbia” movement submitted a request to the Ministry of Education that mask-wearing should be voluntarily. All anti-mask groups think that facemasks go against the basic right to choose. Also, they think that facemasks prevent the intake of oxygen. This controversy has certainly affected children, who were already confused.
It is too early to firmly conclude what the long-term effects on students’ mental health will be. While they know how to take care of their physical health and are aware of Covid-19, it is very possible that there will be some consequences for pupils’ mental health. Above all, it would be stress: for students, parents and teachers.
Image credit: Klimkin