SIBU, Feb 24: Most primary schools are expecting a large number of absentees when the new schooling term starts on March 1 for Pre-school, Year 1 and 2.
This comes as parents are still worried over the Covid-19 situation here. Parents are still feeling it is still not safe yet to send their children to school when the town is still in the Red zone with new cases still happening.
A headmistress of a primary school who wished to be identified as Miss Ting said of her 24 pre-schoolers, only four of them will be in attendance.
“We have 25 students in the pre-school class. This morning, my teacher told me only four of them will turn up next Monday,” she noted.
Ting said the parents of the other students had already informed her teacher that they would only send them to school when the situation improved greatly.
In preparation for her school reopening, Ting said all her teachers came this morning to get the SOP ready.
“I had a google meeting with my teachers last night, so they came to school this morning to get ready everything ready,” she added.
As parents are not allowed to enter the school compound, she had arranged for a drive-thru method for them to collect their children’s textbooks and exercise books tomorrow morning and Saturday morning from 8am to 10am.
“It won’t be crowded as there are two places for them to collect the books. One group in front and the other group at the back of the school,” she said.
A headmaster of a rural primary school, who wished not to be named was also expecting not many students will turn up next Monday.
“Let’s see on Monday but we all expect many will not turn up. Some of the parents have already informed us that they don’t want their children to attend the physical class for the time being,” she said.
Another school head, surnamed Tan estimated around 15 to 20% absentees next week ‘because Sibu is still Red Zone’. — DayakDaily
