PM: Re-opening of Kindergartens and Primary Schools to Be Decided on Monday

Bratislava, May 12 (TASR) – The possible re-opening of kindergartens and the first stage of primary schools will be decided on Monday (May 18), Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) stated following the meeting of an expert consilium on Tuesday, adding that he wants to announce the “good news” on Monday if the situation with the number of infected people in Slovakia does not worsen.

The premier has not yet announced the exact date of re-opening of kindergartens and primary schools. “The aim of today’s meeting was to agree on the exact conditions for how kindergartens and schools should work. We did not aim to decide on the exact date,” said Matovic, adding that the effects of the launch of the second and third phases will be revealed over the weekend. “If they are mild and we see that nothing terrible has happened, then we’ll have more courage to re-open schools and kindergartens,” he said.

Matovic noted that attending kindergartens and primary schools will be voluntary. “Everything will be voluntary, no parents will be forced if they are afraid to send their children to school,” he said, adding that it is expected that not all parents will send their children to kindergarten. At the same time, they also count on the maximum number of children per class or group. The number currently stands at 12.

Schools and school facilities have been closed since March due to the spread of the novel coronavirus in Slovakia. During the extraordinary interruption of teaching in schools, education is being carried out remotely.