KUCHING, April 18: While temporarily closing all schools in Covid-19 red and orange zones, MoE must begin to come up with a certain ‘hybrid’ or ‘rotating’ class system for schools as a long-term measure.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said it is time for the Ministry of Education (MoE) to address this issue properly rather than announcing last-minute decisions ever so frequently and confusing parents and educators with changing regulations.
“I propose three main things the ministry must undertake immediately to properly address the current situation especially here in Sarawak.
“First, to close all schools in red and orange zones for at least two weeks to help break the chain of infection in the schools. By going on with the current system, it is not effective as the students and teachers are distracted by the rising cases as well as the disruption in their learning momentum in school.
“Second, during this period of ‘school closure’, the ministry must start coming up with a ‘hybrid sytem’ or ‘rotating system’ for schools in high-risk areas where classes are rotated on different days, thus reducing the number of students in school (at any one time),” he said in a statement today.
Elaborating on the class rotation system, he said students who can follow home-based learning will be studying at home while those who cannot do the same will have to attend physical classes.
In his third proposal to the MoE, Dr Yii urged the ministry to be transparent to the public regarding crucial information especially on Covid-19 outbreaks in schools so that parents are well-informed and are able to make better decisions for their children.
“With clear and specific parameters, parents can then evaluate whether to send their children to school, or even for the District Education Department to make decisions when to open or close schools.
“Such decisions must be based on facts and data, and not any political consideration. Vaccination for teachers must be prioritised in Phase 2 which starts tomorrow (April 19),” he said.
Expressing understanding that closing down schools in the long-term can cause imbalances between safety and education of students, he urged the ministry to be proactive in coming up with comprehensive plans that are equally beneficial to all parties. — DayakDaily
