Children should be the supreme priority of any society. It is necessary to think about their well-being and education before any other factor. Therefore, even in the most extreme circumstances, prosperous countries always seek to protect children from any effect that these may have on their daily lives. However, in Ecuador it has become common to transfer the consequences of any crisis to children, almost automatically. Without any more analysis or argument than the comfort of a timorous bureaucracy, classes are suspended and the so-called ‘virtuality’ is decreed.
The authorities live in a fictional world. They believe that the country’s children can stay at home without suffering negative consequences.
When schools close, most children are forced to stay home alone, without shelter or supervision. Every day without going to study means a day without access to school breakfast, which is often their main or only food.
The so-called ‘virtuality’ is nothing more than a ritual of self-deception; Connectivity in the country is still low, many teachers do not even have access to the internet and many students lack the necessary devices. Added to this is that the methodology and educational materials are not made for the online modality, so learning becomes a complete failure. Why insist on this harmful procedure?
Even in the midst of this ‘internal armed conflict’ it is necessary to think about options; perhaps a kind of truce that allows schools to continue operating at all costs.