Ministry asked to postpone reopening of schools
MIRI: The Ministry of Education has been asked to postpone the reopening of schools from Jan 20 to a more appropriate date depending on the number of Covid-19 cases.
Senator Alan Ling said schools should not reopen until the number of Covid-19 cases has reduced and it is safe for students to return.
“As our country has recorded cases of Covid-19 infection up to four figures per day, the risk of infection is high and will get worse if the schooling session is still ongoing,” he said in a statement.
Apart from students, families and teachers as well as support staff at the schools would also be exposed to danger if any problems arise from the reopening of schools, he said.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak secretary opined it would be better to continue with online teaching and learning for now to curb the spread of Covid19 during this critical time.
“I hope the government will be more sensitive and considerate of the safety and health factors of students, teachers, school support staff, and all levels of educators," said Ling.
To help students from lowincome families, he called on the state government to provide special assistance for the purchase of laptops and printers for online teaching and learning sessions at home.
“I also call on the Sarawak government to use its autonomy to not follow the federal government school session if the Ministry of Education does not intend to postpone the school session, which is expected to start on Jan 20," said Ling.
On another note, Ling said many teachers from Peninsular Malaysia are also facing difficulties returning to Sarawak due to the limited flight schedule and the mandatory quarantine upon entering the state.
As such, Ling called on the Ministry of Education to consider recruiting more locals to teach in Sarawak.