The new school year starts on Friday and teachers are afraid that the measures against swine flu infection in schools are not enough. Yesterday teacher representatives had a meeting with minister of education Aris Spiliopoulos and complained that the necessary measures cannot be applied due to lack of medical staff, cleaners and money.
"It is impossible to ask from teachers to be doctors, to diagnose and treat sick children and after that to clean and disinfect," said the teachers. According to managing council member of the Confederation for High school employees Themis Kotsifakis, the measures cannot be applied because the budget is not enough and there is a need to hire another 7500 cleaners.
Also according to Ta Nea newspaper, the condition to have more space between desks cannot be met, because there are over 30 students per classroom and more schools do not have free rooms, in order to place potentially sick students and teachers. Besides this schools do not cooperate with the first aid services, which can provide ambulances and with regional municipalities, which can also provide first aid if needed.
Despite all the minister of education Aris Spiliopoulos, who gave a speech today regarding the new school year and the swine flu threat, assured teachers by saying that everything will be OK. "It is obvious that we cannot build new schools," said the minister but he confirmed that he had approved financing the hiring of cleaners.
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