Keeping a safe distance: Every parent, teacher and student must do their part in following the SOPs to keep Covid-19 out of the classrooms. - Azlina Abdullah/ The Star
CIRCULARS and group chat messages of schools closing and reopening go viral the minute they are shared.
Voices of anxious parents are amplified on social media as the number of Covid-19 cases remain at a worrying high.
And while it is understandable why some are calling for schools to be closed, the fact is that only 4.8% of the country’s Covid-19 clusters involve institutions under the Education Ministry, which include 10,000 schools, matriculation colleges, Institutes of Teacher Education and boarding schools.
But regardless of how small the numbers are, every positive case poses a transmission risk that has to be taken seriously.
Every parent, teacher and student must do their part in following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to keep the virus out of classrooms.
The ministry has made it clear that schools must close immediately for two days to be sanitised even if a single positive case is recorded. It will then be for the district health office to determine whether the entire school needs to be shut down, or just the affected classroom, building or floor.
Public policy must be guided by data and measures implemented – such as the ministry’s decision to carry out home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) for two weeks after the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri school break to prevent transmission of the Covid-19 virus particularly among boarding school students – must be flexible.
So, as we wage war against the pandemic, it is to be expected that more schools will close and reopen in the coming weeks. And, it is to be anticipated that more ad hoc decisions will be made to address the fluctuating number of Covid-19 cases in the community.
What is important is transparency and speed in getting the message through to parents and the community as the failure to do so could lead to unnecessary panic.
Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin has stressed that if the situation warrants it, schools will be closed. But based on the latest data available, the ministry’s task is to ensure that schools continue to operate in a safe environment.
Concerned parents who want to keep their children home can still do so by writing to the school to explain their reasons. Students will not be penalised if they are absent from classes because of their parents’ concerns over the Covid-19 situation if schools are informed in advance.
Indeed, it is the right and responsibility of every parent to make the best decision possible for the health and safety of their children.
It must be made clear that no responsible government will ever put the wellbeing of a child at risk. To expect the ministry to impose a blanket closure of schools when the data does not warrant it, is unjustifiable when there are many – especially those from the B40 group – who rely on schools not only for a good education, but also for social support.
Social interaction – albeit with strict SOPs in place – is crucial in a child’s holistic development. Education, after all, is more than just academics.
