‘Go back to rotating online and physical classes’

PETALING JAYA: Parents are hoping the Education Ministry will reconsider its decision to open schools on Jan 20 as the number of Covid-19 cases remain alarmingly high.

Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said parents were not convinced that standard operating procedure (SOP) like physical distancing, wearing masks, not having mass gatherings and maintaining cleanliness could be conscientiously implemented by the schools.

He also said parents were not comfortable with sending their children to schools when other issues such as a manpower shortage and adequate classroom space had not been successfully tackled yet.

“Parents are naturally very worried when their children’s lives are at risk, ” he told The Star.

Mak said it would be more acceptable if only certain levels were allowed to return to physical classrooms or if students returned on a rotational basis.

“Alternatively, maybe only those who face problems with online lessons can return while schools continue conducting hybrid (online and face-to-face) lessons to cater to those in schools and at home, ” he added.Mak said the Education Ministry should consider making it optional for students to attend face-to-face classes from Jan 20 onwards if parents still felt it was unsafe for their children to return to school.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim agreed that the ministry should look into the rotation model proposed when schools reopened in June last year.

“Many schools did not opt for this model, possibly due to the issue of scheduling and teaching resources.

“However, as a preventive measure to ensure that schools remain open despite the Covid-19 numbers, we need to be realistic, ” she said.

Noor Azimah suggested that students be divided into two groups.

The first group would be Year One to Year Three pupils and Form One to Form Three students, who would attend school from Mondays to Wednesdays, she said.

The second group, consisting of the remaining schooling levels, would attend school physically from Thursdays to Saturdays, she added.“The Education Ministry needs to be more comprehensive and enforce tighter SOP. But schools should not delay reopening any longer, especially for Forms Five and Six.“Precautions need to be taken at every stage, starting from the surroundings at home, on the way to school and during school hours to ensure strict physical distancing at all times, ” she added.

Meanwhile, three petitions have been launched on change.org calling for the reopening of schools to be deferred, alternatives to the SPM exams to be introduced and alternative methods to face-to-face classes and examinations for matriculation students to be considered.

The petition calling for the Education Ministry to reconsider its decision to have students back in school later this month, which has garnered over 7,427 signatures at press time, is asking the ministry to postpone the date until the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia improves.

The petitions by the SPM and matriculation students have been signed by over 25,699 and 16,365 students respectively.