Expert Speak Health Express
Published on Sep 14, 2021
As the government flip flops between opening and closing schools, children are suffering from the confusion in policy directives
Slovenian children as pawns in the pandemic powerplay

This article is part of the series Children and the Pandemic: An Analysis Across Countries


While it may not seem obvious at first glance, the sad truth about COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia is that it was (and still is) being managed at the expense of two vulnerable groups of citizens: The elderly and the children.

While senior citizens bore the brunt of excess mortality caused by the coronavirus, children have been kept out of kindergarten and schools altogether for more than 24 weeks, according to official data. This had the twin effects of exacerbating both social and economic inequalities between children.

Undoubtedly, more research needs to be conducted, but at least one study has reported that as many as 25 percent of Slovenian families with school-age children did not have a space that would be suitably quiet to attend online classes, and that almost 50 percent of pupils shared a computer with siblings or their parents.

These, obviously, are not conditions in which academic results can be maintained. The National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Slovenia’s top-most health authority, recently published guidelines ahead of the start of the new school year where it specifically states that the protracted school closure resulted in a decrease in academic achievements.

More research needs to be conducted, but at least one study has reported that as many as 25 percent of Slovenian families with school-age children did not have a space that would be suitably quiet to attend online classes, and that almost 50 percent of pupils shared a computer with siblings or their parents.

Not only have academic results taken a hit, but so have physical activity indicators. A key study showed that in 2020, obesity rates were the highest since systemic tracking began in 1982. Naturally, the experts were flabbergasted by the results of the study and sounded the alarm. Amongst the results of the fitness study was also a finding that during the pandemic, screen addiction became rampant amongst children.

This, however, was only the most immediate (or the most visible) change in mental health of schoolchildren in Slovenia. The NIJZ document above also states that the mental health of schoolchildren has deteriorated generally as a result of school closure. In fact, the problem had become so severe that by the time the third wave of COVID-19 infections hit in the beginning of April 2021, when the schools were closed again (after having been reopened for six weeks), the mental health system for young people had collapsed.

The question is, how did Slovenia—by every measure a developed country with a reasonable equality index—reach this stage and can this be avoided at the start of the new school year? The answer to the first question is through a combination of ineptitude and political powerplay. The answer to the second question is inconclusive at best, as problems from the first questions were barely addressed during the summer break and are now compounded by a lagging vaccination campaign and rampant online misinformation.

But the main problem was never expert analysis and response, the problem was ignoring expert analysis and response when it became politically expedient to do so. Though the statistics for kids during the lockdown are grim enough, but when put side by side with the fact that even despite the lockdown many businesses were able to operate under certain conditions (often successfully lobbying the government to roll back specific pandemic restrictions) and work-from-home policies were never fully considered, school closures no longer appear a necessity but a choice.

Though the statistics for kids during the lockdown are grim enough, but when put side by side with the fact that even despite the lockdown many businesses were able to operate under certain conditions.

To put it bluntly, the authorities chose to close schools over most businesses simply because they faced the least resistance doing so, since students do not comprise their voter base. Anti-masking/anti-testing parents are pressuring the teachers and the government to stay away from their kids, while simultaneously other parents are being adamant that they will only send their children to school if everyone is masked. Some very vocal teachers openly refuse to acknowledge the science of mask-wearing, testing, and vaccination, whereas others are aghast at the absurdity of their colleagues. The teachers’ labour union walks a fine line between the two factions and engages the government purely on the level of labour rights. And finally, the government itself, a year-and-a-half into the pandemic, has still not figured out a way of making decisions that are not rushed, half-baked and often hollowed-out or even completely reversed, given enough pushback. Even worse, this pattern is now so entrenched that even the occasional sound decision (case in point the universal mask mandate in schools) fall prey to it; this being the most problematic issue. By late 2020, the government of Prime Minister Janez Janša had made so many mistakes and missteps, that even the most logical and benign of measures were viewed suspiciously. And so, no one was really surprised when the constitutional court ruled in early December 2020 that there was, in fact, no legal ground for school closure. The government then rushed to create the necessary legal footing but did so in such a slap-dash manner that six months later the highest court in the country simply invalidated a key article of the Communicable Diseases Act. This deprived the government of most legal basis needed to combat the looming fourth wave of infections.

And yet, it continues to adopt anti-pandemic measures with limited or no prior consultation with relevant stakeholders, often waiting until the last minute to do so, only to roll back some of them days later. Combined with a general democratic backsliding Slovenia has been experiencing under the government of Janez Janša, there has been a massive breakdown of trust between the public, the media, and the political class. That, of course, is not a happy prospect regarding the school year that had just started (In Slovenia, school starts on or around 1 September).

Anti-masking/anti-testing parents are pressuring the teachers and the government to stay away from their kids, while simultaneously other parents are being adamant that they will only send their children to school if everyone is masked.

Throughout the pandemic, the government’s main focus seemed to be keeping the economy open. To some extent, this may even seem logical. The public debt that exploded as a result of anti-pandemic measures will have to be reduced and that can only be done through increased productivity. Additionally, as vaccination rates increase (albeit at a sub-average pace when compared to the rest of the European Union) and the populace being generally tired of lockdowns and anti-pandemic measures, there is less and less inclination towards another lockdown. This, combined with a mismanaged information campaign, resulted in only 43 percent of the population being fully vaccinated as of 31 August. This is well below the 56 percent of fully vaccinated people in the European Union/European Economic Area.

That is not to say that there was no preparation whatsoever. Teachers, administrators, and headmasters welcomed the NIJZ guidelines. As late as they were, they are also very comprehensive and build on scenarios (or models) developed during the second wave of infections. These include four models, ranging from normal operation (model A) to complete closure of schools and a switch to distance learning (model D).

As things stand, the 2021–22 school year started with model B. This means in-class teaching with educators and other school staff who have to conform to the so-called PCT standard, (vaccinated/tested/recovered), while also wearing a mask. Students up to the age of 12 are required to wear masks in common areas of schools whereas older students need to wear a mask at all times.

As an additional measure, a self-test kit for kids is available at local pharmacies. However, self-testing is voluntary and kids under 12 are not even covered by the testing protocol. Combined with a relaxed masking regime for the same age group, this seems more like an unnecessary concession to the anti-testing/anti-masking crowd than a logistical consideration.

Nonetheless, the existence of these guidelines matters. That said, their execution is left mostly to the schools themselves. Oftentimes, the timeline for implementation of specific procedures extends well into September, when school will be well underway, while the specifics are left to the resourcefulness of individual school administrations.

Teachers, administrators, and headmasters welcomed the NIJZ guidelines. As late as they were, they are also very comprehensive and build on scenarios (or models) developed during the second wave of infections.

Health and education authorities spent the end of August assuring parents that they will do everything possible to keep schools open during the delta-variant-fuelled fourth wave of the pandemic (the infection rate Slovenia is experiencing now approximately corresponds the level of infection a week before the government shut the schools down in October 2020.)

On the eve of the new school year, Education Minister Simona Kustec even said that school inspectors will have the power to shut down specific schools should they try to eschew hygiene protocols. However, it is not yet clear what, if any, legal basis school inspectors have for that, again demonstrating the cavalier approach the government takes regarding legality of its COVID-19 measures.

More importantly, this is not the first time this minister has vowed to keep the schools open, only to see them closed within weeks. And with daily case numbers increasing exponentially, it is not unreasonable to think that Slovenia is about to see a repeat of last autumn.

It does not come as a surprise as to why parents fret about whether to keep sending their kids to school at all, fearing they will remain pawns in this pandemic  powerplay.

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Contributor

Alja Pengov Bitenc

Alja Pengov Bitenc

Alja Pengov Bitenc is a Slovenian journalist political analyst and cohost of several podcasts on media and politics. He also authors Sleeping with Pengovsky a ...

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