covid and impact on education

[torque2me]

Originally Posted by macafee2

The list of who should be first in line is never ending, these industries are what keeps the country going, electric, water, gas, telecommunications, food, waste, imports, oil, NHS, police, fire, motor, public transport, haulage/transport are just a few.

macafee2

Quite, but the teaching unions do not want face-to-face learning. People need to listen to the replies of union officals when interviewed (I've only seen some of those via Sky and BBC. Our school leavers may well be in competition for jobs with those who did receive a more comprehensive education elsewhere in the world.

Kev

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by marinabrian

I have said this previously that the people that should be prioritised for vaccine treatment should they wish to take it up, are healthcare workers, education providers and support staff, and care home staff.

Originally Posted by andymc

No need for either unnecessary praise or gratuitous abuse of teachers. One thing I will say is that as far as I'm aware, bus drivers, supermarket workers, carers, hospital workers et al aren't required to work in a room together with 30+ other people who are not wearing masks. This is all the more relevant now that a much more infectious strain of the virus is endemic in the population.
If education staff can't be prioritised for receiving the vaccine, other steps should be taken to minimise the risk to their lives and health, e.g. using other venues for delivering classes such as theatres, cinemas and other large indoor spaces currently lying idle, proper resourcing of online education through the provision of laptops and decent broadband connection to every child who needs it. Yes this costs money, but so does failing to provide education. For that matter, so does bunging contracts for PPE or failed test & trace systems to your chums without due diligence, and that seems to be perfectly acceptable.

Andy I'm well aware of what with the occupation of both your good lady and yourself the level of concern expressed here

I don't think for one minute anyone should be expected to do a job without feeling safe and confident to do so, and by definition if vaccination against the effect of coronavirus does the job then that is why I suggested the above in an earlier post.

However there is a gulf between face to face dealing with confirmed Covid cases as opposed to dealing with children who might be infected, on the one hand at least you know what you are dealing with which is preferable to not knowing, but on the other the greater risk is with the former.

As to the last point you make, I suspect the comparison might be made to the Renewable Heat Incentive debacle, I agree the panicked rush to be seen to be doing something in the early days about PPE and the track and trace system were just as laughable.

Brian