Reopened schools will be safe, parents assured

A file picture of a school in Shah Alam being sanitised. – IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The opening of schools nationwide, beginning tomorrow, after being closed for a long time, will create a safe environment and capable of restoring the students' spirit, says National Union of Teaching Professions of Malaysia (NUTP) secretary-general Wang Heng Suan.

This, he said, was based on the 120-page document on Guidelines for School Management and Operation 3.0 by the Education Ministry (MOE), which focuses on cleanliness of the school compound.

The guideline emphasises on the ventilation aspects in classes and face masks for all school staff to ensure optimum safety in school compounds.

"These include surfaces that are often touched to be sanitised, paths for students to move about, break times and several other safety measures, like temperature screening of students, wearing face masks and observing physical distancing," he told Bernama.

He said NUTP was confident that the reopening of schools in stages was also part of the MOE's way of identifying situations and circumstances in controlling the spread of Covid-19.

Schools will reopen in stages beginning Sunday (Oct 3), initially for students sitting for examinations and certain groups of students in states that are in phase two and above of the National Recovery Plan.

School sessions will use a weekly student rotation method with weekly class attendance set at 50% to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection.

Wang said hoped all school administrators and teachers would follow the guidelines provided to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures (SOP).

The guidelines provide complete information and measures that need to be taken to ensure the safety of students, including for school administrators to set up a Covid-19 Committee at the school level, he added.

The guidelines also contain information for teachers or school staff who do not wish to receive the vaccine, whereby they are not allowed to be in the same space as those who have completed the vaccination.

Thus, only teachers and staff who have been vaccinated will be in school and this will create a safer school environment for students, he added.

As of Sept 11, 97.5% of teachers have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, Anggota Kumpulan Pelaksana (97%) and School Liaison Officers (90.6%).

Meanwhile, National Parents and Teachers Association (PIBGN) president Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Ali Hasan said with the preparations to ensure a clean school environment and with the majority of teachers and students vaccinated, going to school will be safer.

He said the guidelines by the MOE covered everything concerning the school management, especially during the pandemic and endemic situation.

"It will certainly make the school safe and able to bring back the cheerfulness and enthusiasm of the students to continue to study," he added. – Bernama