Although education experts often disagree on various points, there is a consensus at this time: post-pandemic educational institutions will no longer be the same as they were before. While there was already an understanding that the 21st-century school must prepare students for life—and therefore requires a holistic education focused not only on formal competencies but also on social-emotional skills—with the return to in-person activities following the forced social distancing due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, educators emphasize the importance of not reverting to the way things were before. 

To help build a “new normal” in schools, all handbooks, guidelines, and educational, health, and biosafety protocols developed by public entities—such as the National Education Council (CNE), the National Council of Education Secretaries (Consed), nonprofit organizations such as Todos pela Educação, as well as private-sector entities and the Eleva Group’s Laboratório Inteligência de Vida (LIV), aim to restore the emotional well-being of students, teachers, administrators, parents, and school staff through a welcoming environment. 

"The process of returning to in-person classes will be a major challenge for the entire school community. We understand that this return will require strengthening the school community, which has been greatly impacted, and we believe that the best way to do this is through social-emotional learning," said LIV educational consultant Raul Spitz.

And, in addition to all the emotional support and biosafety concerns, there are also concerns about the strategies involved in this return to in-person learning. Claudia Costin, director of the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Educational Policy at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (CEIP-FGV) and former Secretary of Education for the City of Rio de Janeiro, has been monitoring information on the protocols for resuming in-person classes established by various countries.

The former secretary of education highlights the advantages of having older students return first and of implementing a staggered schedule to increase social distancing in classrooms and during recess. “Just as frontline doctors weren’t prepared, neither were educators. But carefully planning the return—that gives us time to do it,” said the expert and educator, who is also a member of the BETT Global Council.

Examples from Abroad
Two of the world’s leading examples of rapid pandemic control, Finland and Portugal, developed flawless reopening plans for their education sectors. Social distancing, hygiene, and extensive logistics were the key measures in resuming in-person school activities. The gradual return to in-person learning took place only after infection rates were brought under control in both Portugal and Finland.

At the second Bett Educar Online Meeting, held on June 23 and 24, Jarkko Wickström, head of operations for Finland University in Latin America, and Maria João Horta, deputy director-general of the Portuguese Ministry of Education, shared their respective countries’ experiences with participants. In both countries, in-person classes resumed in May, shortly before the end of the European school year. With another break for summer vacation on the continent, in-person activities in schools in both countries will resume in the first weeks of September.

In Portugal, the return to school began with secondary education—for students aged 15 to 18—and preschool—for children aged 3 to 6—shortly after Easter. “All safety measures have been put in place, from strategies for entering schools to organizing classrooms into small, rotating groups, and a strong focus on hygiene—especially for the youngest children in kindergarten, who returned to school so their parents could go back to work,” said Maria João Horta.

In Finland, however, early childhood education continued in-person classes during the lockdown, while middle school students switched to homeschooling. “The next school year, starting in late August, will see a return to normal school operations, in accordance with the safety guidelines already in place,” Wickström revealed, emphasizing that the collaborative efforts of teachers—who focused more on the learning process and less on technological tools—were the most important factor in ensuring that the country’s overall educational strategy succeeded during the global health crisis.

All experts agree that the return to in-person classes must be done safely for everyone: students, teachers, administrators, and staff.