Spain's education committee has established virtual care teams (AVA) in each province , which will assist students who follow their training from home when teachers from their own center cannot take over.
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The impact of covid-19 has forced a review of the possibilities to serve vulnerable students or with cohabitants in vulnerable situations. The educational committee approved on Friday the update of the care protocol and the department headed by Román Rodríguez already has the resolution ready to be published in the DOG with the instructions to attend to this type of student. It highlights the creation of virtual care teams (AVA) in each province , which will assist students who follow their training from home when teachers from their own center cannot take over.
How will you proceed in a case of absenteeism with a possible root in the pandemic situation? The instructions contemplate that the management of the center will be the first to assess the case and see if the student's absences can be considered justified. If the management does not see it clearly, it will communicate it to the Educational Inspection, and this may send the case to the corresponding provincial monitoring commission (CPS), the bodies in charge of assessing absenteeism situations originating from covid-19. Finally determining whether the student should follow his training at home will in any case be supported by medical prescription , Education highlighted on Friday.If the management of the center or the CPS determine that the student must study from home, the necessary measures will be adopted to guarantee their attention. The instructions indicate that the first option is for the student to be attended by teachers from their own center . If the school or institute considers that this is impossible, it will have to justify it to the Inspection. This body will then study the schedules of the center's staff and confirm whether it is possible for them to take charge of this distance education or whether the student should be attended by one of the provincial teams of virtual attention to students.
In any case, the instructions certify that the students authorized to receive virtual educational attention will be considered in school for all purposes and the absences from the educational center during that time will be understood as justified . The home care authorization will be reviewed periodically.
Five hours a week of virtual attention
The AVA teams, therefore, will take care of the students who, due to prolonged illness or vulnerability, are authorized not to attend the educational center and who cannot be attended by their own teachers. There will be a total of eight in the community.
In each province two teams will be created, one for Early Childhood and Primary Education and the other for ESO and basic FP. The Provincial Office of Education will specify the allocation of hours of attention for each student according to their educational stage, but without ever exceeding five hours a week .The teachers of the AVA teams will have to coordinate with the educational center in which the minor is enrolled and also pass on the tasks performed by the student, since the center will be responsible for evaluating the student . They will also contact the parents or those responsible for the student to specify the weekly virtual attention schedule, give instructions on how they should connect and define by which means the transfer of tasks or the resolution of doubts will be carried out.
In the case of high school students who cannot be attended by their center, they will continue their training through the distance learning center IES San Clemente , by means of a provisional transfer of enrollment, although maintaining a place in their center. Students who had been receiving educational attention at home may request to join the virtual modalities.Controversy over the selection of teachersThe training of AVA teams has already received criticism from the teachers' union ANPE, which considers the instructions an "outrage" when addressing changes in the working conditions of teachers without having gone through any of the established channels of negotiation and supervision.
The virtual child and primary care teams will be made up of teachers from the teaching staff and with psycho-pedagogical training. Those of secondary and FP will be constituted by teachers of the body of teachers of secondary education. The members will be appointed by the General Directorate of Centers at the proposal of the Territorial Offices of Education. They will carry out their work in the educational centers determined by the department and will be coordinated by the Inspection. The Territorial Xefatura may decide to incorporate teachers who already work in home educational care to the AVA teams.«A resolution does not make it clear how no one who will configure these teams, will be with official personnel, with interns ... They are taking advantage of the covid situation to make decisions without consulting. We demand urgent meetings to deal with an issue of such depth " , values the president of ANPE Galicia, Julio Díaz. The organization presented two documents on Tuesday demanding the urgent convocation of the Sectorial Board of Ensino non Universitario de Galicia and the Seguemento do Acordo de Interinos Commission . Díaz assures that in recent months a multitude of places have been filled "by finger" and recalls that in Galicia there is a system of provision of positions "that must be respected .