Coronavirus: No consequences for parents who keep pre-primary children at home

There will not be any consequences for parents who choose not to take their children to kindergarten and pre-primary school amid the pandemic, the Pancyprian confederation of parents’ association for nursery schools said on Monday, citing the education ministry.

After an online meeting with the education ministry where the confederation expressed their concern over its decision to keep nursery schools open while primary and high school students follow remote learning, the ministry verbally ensured parents there will be no impact for those who do not wish to take their children to school out of fear of catching the virus or because they belong to vulnerable groups.

“Showing understanding, the education ministry gave us its verbal assurance that there will be no consequences for that group of parents,” the confederation said.

Parents added that the reduced number of children will meet keeping health safety and social distancing measures.

The confederation said that despite physical presence being preferred they were not satisfied with the ministry’s explanation as to why nursery schools had been kept open.

“The response we received is that nursery schools will continue their operation with physical presence as the positive cases in nurseries were not a lot, and that with their operation parents will be able to go to work,” they said.

A scientifically substantiated explanation is still expected concerning the spread of the coronavirus and its new variant which was spread in Cyprus from the UK.

Moreover, the confederation asked the ministry to “enrich its websites with educational material for kindergartens or create a central website addressed exclusively to children in pre-primary education, enriched with interactive applications, videos with storytelling – crafts but also printed material for practice for the children staying at home based on the pre-primary education curriculum”.