When politicians have to make a decision, they should take into account how it will affect the most vulnerable social groups.” Something like this has been said to me by a friend over the weekend, when we were talking about a subject that has not ceased since March. We were talking about an authority that has withdrawn the public transport service and asked the citizens to use the car.

The health crisis has brought profound changes in the educational centers, not only because of the maintenance of the removal measures and the use of masks. Schools are recommended to monitor the morning and not engage in after-school activities at noon and afternoon. Even though they've started classes,

schools have not received the means to maintain safety distances in canteens, so some families are at risk of being deprived of this very important service to reconcile life and work. In addition, many centers will remain closed in the evenings, those of all stages in Navarra and those of secondary school in the CAV.

Meanwhile, private companies have not lost their time and have spread propaganda to the mailboxes and emails of associations of parents and families with offers adapted to the “needs of each”. On the other hand, concerned about the situation of uncertainty, many families are netting each other in order to guarantee the care of their sons and daughters if educational centers are reopened.

The reduction of services in schools has obvious effects, as demonstrated by several studies: the gap between parents who cannot stay at home due to their basic occupations and those who can work in the evenings, the increase in the gap suffered by students with a low socioeconomic situation, social problems during adolescence, the increase in the tasks of caring for women and their expulsion from the labor market...

If we want to build a school that guarantees the rights of all citizens, it is essential to turn this process of “decline” of the school as soon as possible, when the situation of uncertainty relaxes a little. When we take the education out of the whirlwind of the media and once and for all the authorities put it at the centre of society, we should take all the time necessary to have in-depth discussions in the school communities, taking into account the words my friend said to me. And then we have to be very strict with those who make the decisions, so that they don't take advantage of the health crisis to continue cutting public services.

*Lurdes Imaz is the EHIGE coordinator