Paraguay President Mario Abdo Benitez announced Monday that in-person classes will remain closed through December.
Benitez said that although there is “scientific evidence suggesting children are less vulnerable to the virus,” the government has a “constitutional obligation” to care for the health of its citizens.
“We know this decision is unprecedented,” Benitez said. “I would like to ask for cooperation, mainly from parents and from the education sector.”
“I know that it will be a difficult year, but we are confident that we will be able to develop and deepen our capacity in the use of technology within the education system,” he added.
The National Educators Union released a statement earlier this month, highlighting the difficulty teachers were experiencing to meet deadlines due to the “deficient coverage” provided in order to reach students without access to internet or other technology.
The Paraguayan Health Ministry launched virtual training courses for teachers last week to help develop curriculums for online classes, according to the Education Ministry’s website. The ministry said “physical materials” would be distributed to students in areas with limited access to internet.
Paraguay has confirmed at least 228 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths.
