No open schools to give relief to British parents… but PM Johnson says he is ‘in awe’ of them

Boris Johnson has penned an open letter to parents, who have to deal with homeschooling hardships due to Covid-19 and have done so “magnificently” well. Some said the PM is the last person they want to get parenting advice from.

The Johnson government this week disappointed those who eagerly expect schools in the UK to open again. It will not be possible due to the “perilous” Covid-19 situation, the prime minister said, so remote teaching is to continue for weeks longer. In England, students may be welcomed back no sooner than March 8, though Wales may have a reopening somewhat sooner.

In an apparent bid to balance the bad news, on Saturday Johnson penned an open letter to express how he was “in awe” of British parents, carers and guardians of children, who “have risen to the unique challenges” of the epidemic.

“You have been dealt the trickiest of hands yet played it magnificently,” he wrote. “It is especially true of the way millions of you have coped with the pressures of home schooling while also doing your daily jobs.”

You are paving the way back to normalcy and you are, quite literally, saving lives.

Johnson touted his government’s effort to help the needy families by providing free meals and laptops for online education and pledged to invest “hundreds of millions of pounds” into catch-up programs.

Judging by the initial response online, as a PR exercise the letter was not very convincing. While a few ‘thank you’ comments did pop up, an overwhelming majority was seething with anger and frustration. People accused the government of shambling incompetence and demanded that schools be opened.

Some even suspected that Johnson played copycat to Sarah White, a teacher, whose similarly-themed letter to parents went viral and was widely appreciated.

A few people went after Johnson personally, pointing out that he is hardly a paragon of family stability and parenting skills. Still, he famously refuses to discuss his private affairs with the media.

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