For more than a month, Ceuta has lived pending its border. Of the people who entered, of those who returned, of those who slept on the streets and beaches, of the security devices and of a humanitarian crisis that has altered the daily functioning of a city of barely 19 square kilometers.
But while administrations, security forces and emergency services try to recover normality, a date is approaching that forces us to look towards schools.
This September 8, some 13,400 students are called to return to the classrooms in Ceuta.
The question now is whether they will be able to return to the classrooms normally.
Everything changed on July 30 and 31. Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants irregularly crossed the border from Morocco in an entry of a magnitude never seen before in Ceuta.
The initial figures put the number of entries at around 80,000 people, practically the equivalent of the entire population of the city. Later, the Government clarified that the official figure is 72,000.
Most returned to Morocco during the first few days. A month later, the Ministry of the Interior estimates that around 5,000 people remain in Ceuta, approximately 1,500 of them minors.
On August 25, the Government ended up declaring a situation of interest for national security in Ceuta, officially recognizing that the entry had generated unprecedented pressure on border control.
Security problems were added to the humanitarian emergency.
During these weeks there have been altercations, attacks and confrontations. Four Moroccan migrants were expelled after attacking three civil guards who were trying to identify them and another eleven were expelled after the attack with stones on soldiers in Benzú. The Prosecutor's Office has also recorded 23 sexual assaults since the beginning of the crisis.
The consequences have also ended up reaching educational centers. Since July 30, intrusions have been detected in seven schools and institutes in Ceuta.
One of the most significant cases has been that of the CEIP José Ortega y Gasset. Several immigrants irregularly accessed its facilities to spend the night, which caused damage and health problems inside the center.
The question is inevitable: are schools prepared to reopen their doors?
The situation has transferred an unexpected decision to families. On September 8, schools will open, but it will be parents who will have to decide every morning whether to take their children to school.
FAMPA Cuatro Culturas, the Youth Council and the Student Movement have warned that some students may not attend class during the first weeks of the course.
Sebastián, member of the Board of Directors of FAMPA Cuatro Culturas, has indicated that he sees the beginning of the school year “with a lot of uncertainty” and that families “are afraid,” he noted in statements to Europa Press.
According to their organization, some parents are considering not taking their children to school for the first few days.
The issue is security.
For some, the announced measures are sufficient. For others, doubts still exist.
From Education the message is clear: the course must begin.
The Secretary of State for Education, Abelardo de la Rosa, has confirmed that the calendar will be maintained and that the measures adopted seek to provide security and tranquility to families.
The Local Security Board has designed an extraordinary device that includes a uniformed presence in the vicinity of the centers and surveillance of the routes taken by students.
Surveillance will also be reinforced during the afternoons and nights to prevent new unauthorized access to the buildings.
In addition, Education has announced a psychosocial support plan aimed at students and families to face the stress generated by what has happened in recent weeks.
According to Estel Delgado, school psychologist at Escolàpies Llúria (Barcelona), a situation of social tension like the one experienced in Ceuta can generate “fear, uncertainty or concern” in minors, even if they have not directly witnessed any incident. Children, he explains, are especially sensitive to the emotional climate that surrounds them and adults can perceive concern even if they do not fully understand what is happening.
Delgado considers that “recovering the school routine can be beneficial” as long as objective safety conditions exist. Returning to school allows us to recover schedules and social relationships, elements that provide a sense of normality.
He warns, however, that some minors may experience “fear or refusal to return,” especially if they relate their school to an episode that they perceive as threatening. In these cases, he recommends listening to the child, accompanying him and conveying security.
Regarding the possibility of delaying the start of the course, Delgado points out that it does not have to be harmful in all cases, especially if there are objective security reasons. However, it considers that “an excessive prolongation of the exceptional situation can cause minors to perceive the situation as more serious.” If conditions allow for a return, progressively recovering routines is usually beneficial.
In just a month, Ceuta has gone from receiving tens of thousands of people to trying to recover its daily life.
Most of those who crossed the border are no longer in the city. Thousands of others still remain there. Administrations are looking for solutions and residents continue to face the consequences of the crisis.
But has Ceuta returned to normal?
The answer is not simple. And perhaps one of the places where it can best be verified is in schools.
Few things represent routine better than going back to class. Get up in the morning, prepare your backpack, meet your classmates, enter the classroom and sit in front of the teacher.
But opening the doors of a school does not necessarily mean having returned to normality.
Because if Ceuta is still wondering when it will return to normal, this September 8 it will have to answer a much more specific question: is it possible to return to something as everyday as school?
