In spite of the pre-emptive measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of swine flu in schools, including swine flu vaccination and disinfection of buildings, the outbreak continues to affect education and school attendance. Using swine flu as a pretext, students have started to skip classes for very minor problems or because they suspect they are sick. A total of 650 students from the 2,500-student Bağcılar Atatürk Primary School were absent on Wednesday. Despite the decision by the Ministry of Education that schools will not be closed, an informal swine flu holiday is already under way in some schools. Teachers are being forced to delay lessons and wait for students to return to implement the curriculum effectively.School administrators have been informed that they should be very “helpful” if students ask for permission to miss classes, and in many schools in İstanbul, attendance has decreased significantly.
Teachers have had to constantly repeat lessons when students return, and this has created additional problems. Teachers have to wait for students to come back before they can start new subjects, and school directors are complaining that teachers and students are having difficulty staying motivated in class since the outbreak of swine flu.
“In a very minor case of flu or a fever, students ask permission to leave, and we have to give them permission,” said the principal of Avcılar Industrial Vocational High School. He said there had been a 100 percent increase in absenteeism in comparison to the same month last year. In the 1,800-student school approximately 330 students miss classes daily. The principal noted a particular increase in absenteeism since Monday. “The students see that it is easy to get permission, and they ask for it. Previously, we didn’t give permission without informing the parents, but after [the outbreak of] swine flu, we were told to grant permission to students as necessary.”
Meanwhile, primary and secondary schools in Kayseri were closed down for a week on Thursday to prevent the spread of swine flu. The schools will re-open on Nov. 19. Fifty-two people have been reported to be infected with swine flu in Kayseri, and the illness has claimed two lives there.
