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PETALING JAYA: More than 1,000 Malaysian school children have been infected by Covid-19 since the third wave of the outbreak began last month and there appear to be differing views from stakeholders on whether schools should be closed for longer.
Most parents are not in favor of schools closing for an extended period and instead ask that children be taught the necessary precautions.
Malaysian Education Parent Action Group Chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said schools should reopen but with a stricter standard operating procedure (SOP).
As possible solutions, he said that the Ministry of Education could consider that students attend schools on alternate weeks.
“The ministry should also review past options and further adjust the SOP.
“It can be a huge inconvenience, but at least the learning continues,” he added.
The Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education, Mak Chee Kin, said the country cannot afford to close all schools once again, as the implications will be severe.
Furthermore, the government should not force parents to send their children to school if they feel it is still not safe to do so, he added.
“The responsibility is not only of the teachers, but everyone must do their part to follow the POE.”
However, the secretary general of the National Union of Teaching Professions, Harry Tan, said that the closure of schools in the affected areas controls the spread of the virus and is a “switch”.
Learning is not limited to the four walls of the classroom and can be done anywhere, he said.
However, he said the government should consider requiring students to wear masks in schools and provide measures to help those who cannot afford the masks reduce the rate of transmission of the virus.
“Teachers play an important role in schools, but they must receive unambiguous and feasible instructions for them to be disseminated,” he said.
“Most of them wear masks in classrooms and are on call during recess to monitor if students are following the SOP.
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to the mindset and ingenuity of parents and teachers to carry out remote learning,” he added.
Mother Priya Krishnan, 40, said schools could divide classes in half, reduce the number of days schoolchildren attend school, give parents the option to send their children to school and just teach core subjects along with art, and physics and health. Education.
“We cannot be constantly locked up and we must think of new and rational ways to deal with the pandemic.
“We must take into account the mental health of children and not all families have the same privilege of hiring in-home tutors to help their children cope with the curriculum,” said the mother of two.
Fong Yit Meng, 37, believes that schools must revolutionize the way it works and improve the skills of their teachers to adapt to the new normal, as Covid-19 may not be the last pandemic the world will experience.
“Schools must be able to provide continuous learning to students in the event of another pandemic like this one.
“The Ministry of Education and the government should be faster in their response and decision-making capacity to protect the safety of students.
“Disaster management plans are important and schools need to take this seriously,” said the father of a freshman.
Health Director General Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah had said that when the outbreak began in February, Covid-19 infected 830 children in primary schools and 1,315 high school students.
It also said that from September 20 to October 21, 587 cases involved elementary school students between the ages of seven and 12, and 670 cases involved high school students between the ages of 13 and 18.
Since September 20, the government had ordered the closure of 12 schools in the country after the detection of Covid-19 cases in those schools, while all schools in the most critical states remained closed for a few weeks.
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