12th grade students are provided with the opportunity to prepare for the final exams on site

From 7 April, on-site studies are permitted for 12th grade students throughout the country, strictly adhering to safety measures and testing both teachers and young people. It will be possible to organize studies no more than 2 days a week in subjects where centralized exams are held, ensuring non-overlapping class flows. 12th graders have the opportunity to return to on-site studies also on a regional basis. It is stated in amendments to regulations “Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of Covid-19 Infection”, adopted by the Government on 1 April 2021.

The adopted amendments strengthen the regional principle for the implementation of educational programs on site in strict compliance with all established safety measures. From 7 April, the range of grades that can study on site in epidemiologically safer areas has also been expanded. If until now in safe municipalities it was possible to implement on-site studies for the students from 1st to 4th grade, further this will also be available for 5th and 6th grade students in the municipalities where the two-week cumulative morbidity rate per 100,000 inhabitants does not exceed 200 (in some cases - not exceeding 220).

When evaluating the possibilities to comply with epidemiological safety requirements, the founder of the school may decide to implement on-site studying also from 7th to 11th grade (for example, two days a week) - on-site studying is introduced if the 14-days cumulative morbidity rate of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the municipality does not exceed 200 and epidemiological conditions indicate a safer situation in the administrative territory. Epidemiological safety requirements shall be ensured in the educational institution and weekly testing of on-site employees shall be performed.

As before, in safer territories up to 5 lessons can be organised on site outdoors in the schools of formal education but in non-formal education up to 2 lessons out of the number of lessons planned for a given week. On-site individual consultations are allowed throughout the country for those students who are at risk of early dropping out of school at primary and secondary education level. Also, on-site consultations are primarily intended for 12th grade graduates and those students of vocational education institutions, who in the first half of 2021 are expected to take state exams and obtain appropriate vocational education (at the level of primary and secondary education).

It is planned to also resume interest education classes and professional orientation classes for groups of up to ten people on-site, but only outdoors.

Practical training of the vocational education program and higher education program, which is necessary for the acquisition of professional skills or qualifications in the first half of 2021, is allowed on site, in a group of no more than five students of one group (course).
Work with young people is carried out remotely, with the exception of work with young people with disabilities. Work with young people with disabilities can be carried out outdoors for up to 10 young people in a group with a youth worker, if epidemiological safety requirements are met, or indoors, in the form of individual consultations, if epidemiological safety requirements are met.

In sports, the current regulation is basically maintained. Not more than 10 persons shall gather at the same time in an organised manner for a sports training (session) outdoors (excluding sports specialists and sports employees), and changing rooms are not used. If the area of the respective outdoor sports venue allows it, the work of several training groups may take place at the same time, if the flow of different training groups does not physically overlap, as well as separate supervision of each group’s activities is ensured. The top-level athletes listed in the regulations will continue to be able to train both indoors and outdoors without restrictions. The regulation of top-level sports competitions has also been maintained, at the same time extending it to all competitions included in the sports calendar of international sports federations for national team athletes over the age of 15. From 7 April 2021, the working hours of sports venues will be prolonged until 22.00. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science has developed a legal framework for the next steps in outdoor and indoor sports training, taking into account the epidemiological situation and the specifics of sports, but its application will depend on morbidity rates.

The draft regulations “Amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 360 of 9 June 2020 “Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of Covid-19 Infection”” approved today by the Government are available on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers.