Safer to stay at home and continue course online

WE are the concerned parents of students who are studying in the United Kingdom. These students have been asked to return to their universities to attend courses that will resume in September.

We fear that the students going back to study might be infected with Covid-19 as the number of cases is relatively high in the UK. These students are protected in Malaysia as the number of cases here is under control.

As most of the students who have been asked to return to their universities will be dealing with patients in hospitals, they are at great risk of being infected with Covid-19. Doctors in the hospitals will not have time to guide the students as they themselves will be busy treating patients. Thus, being there will be just a waste of time for the students, and it would be wiser for them to continue with their online lectures until things improve, probably in December.

There are universities in the UK that will only resume their face-to-face teaching at the end of the year. Until then, classes and examinations are conducted online.

We request that the universities conduct online courses until December and then proceed with the clinical (dental, pharmacy and medical) programmes after this.

This would be a better and safer solution for the students. As the campuses also have international students, some would come from countries that have extremely high rates of infection.

We hope the Malaysian government and relevant authorities will be able to collaborate with the universities abroad to come up with a plan that doesn’t affect the studies of the students as well as protect them from being exposed to Covid-19.

CONCERNED PARENT

Teluk Intan, Perak