By Ling Hui
KUCHING, July 6: Teachers in schools across Sarawak are now playing the role of frontliners in protecting the health of young students, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
According to a statement, when visiting various rural primary schools yesterday in Betong, Uggah reminded teachers and school operators to always comply with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and related advice given by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.
The purpose of his visit to five primary schools — SK Spaoh, SK Suri Debak, SK Gayau, SK St John and SK Paku Central — was to check on their preparations for when schools reopen on July 15 for Primary Five and Six students and on July 22 for Primary One to Four students.
He was brought around the school compounds by the respective headmasters or their senior representatives to see the SOP set-ups such as hand-washing areas, hand sanitisers, thermometers, social distancing markers and the one-metre gaps between desks in classrooms.
At schools using plastic water containers with taps for hand-washing purposes, Uggah recommended the use of aluminum or steel basins and piped water.
“This will be healthier and more permanent in nature as the fight against the Covid-19 virus could be a long-drawn battle,” Uggah explained.
Uggah who is also the State Disaster Management Committee chairman, noted the state government is prepared to help rural schools by providing financial grants to purchase more handheld thermometers.
At schools with larger student populations, he planned to help them acquire thermo scanners which measure body temperatures faster as compared to hand thermometers, to avoid potential long queues. — DayakDaily
