Classroom lessons are back!
While students love their ‘first day’ at school, some teachers are concerned about the long-term effects of the SOP.
First day back to school was exciting but isolating for several students as secondary schools across the country reopened yesterday for those sitting for public examinations this year – after almost three months of closure due to Covid-19.
An SMK Putrajaya Presint 11(1) student, who wanted to be known as Fawad, said classroom teaching and learning felt different this time around due to the standard operating procedure (SOP) which includes social distancing measures.
“It feels refreshing to be back. I’m not cooped up in my room now and I prefer face-to-face teaching.
“But I also feel a little lonely because classes are now broken into two and some of my friends are no longer in my class,” he said.
“The environment is such that you also don’t have the opportunity to talk and discuss; it adds to the pressure of being cautious and catching up with our studies,” he said.
While he’s still wary of his surroundings, Fawad said his teachers have done a good job in taking all the necessary precautions.
His schoolmate Danish Aiman said he didn’t enjoy eating in his classroom, although he understood the need for it.
“I am happy to see my friends and teachers but it feels different.
“Before this, my friends and I would spend time eating and talking in the canteen,” he said.
“Because of the SOP, everyone now eats at their seat and some friends sit at the other corner of the room; so it’s hard to catch up.”
Nur Alyaa Izzati Abd Rahman, on the other hand, said no more than three students were allowed to leave the classroom for toilet breaks.
A fifth former of SMK Seksyen 7 in Shah Alam, Suraya Aishah Badrul Hisham said she was so happy when the government announced that school will reopen yesterday.
“I made sure that my uniform, shoes and bag were all ready a week earlier,” she said.
“I’m so excited to reunite with my friends and teachers even though there is an SOP to comply with. It is definitely not as boring as studying alone at home.”
She described the reopening of schools as the best chance for her to prepare herself for the SPM examination.
In George Town, Form Five students Aiyeshah Naina Mohamed and S. Jayasari Saraswathi were excited about returning to school.
“I could not wait to meet my classmates in person,” said Jayasari.
“While we attended online classes, it was nothing like interacting with friends and teachers face-toface,” said the SM Convent Light Street student.
Aiyeshah said the MCO gave her more time to spend with her family as on normal school days, there would always be co-curricular activities.
“However, I am so happy to see my friends again after such a long break and be back to the school environment,” she said.
Penang Education director Abdul Rashid Abdul Samad said 18,800 students sitting for SPM and 2,200 STPM students attended school in the state yesterday.
“All the students and teachers will follow strict SOP during school hours and social distancing will be practised once they come in.
“The good news is that we have zero Covid-19 schools cluster,” he said at SMK Raja Tun Uda.
Abdul Rashid said schools were given staggered times of 7.30am or 8.30am to start.
“No student or teacher will be allowed into canteens, and students’ and teachers’ representatives will collect meals from the canteen.”
In SMK Anderson students were glad to be back in their classes.
Usamah Ariffin Abdillah, 17, said as he did not have a laptop, he had to use his mother’s smartphone for the online lessons.
“In a classroom, the teachers can guide us face to face and I prefer it this way,” he said.
Usamah, who is a state Sukma Paralympic swimmer, said he would also start training next week.
“I will need to balance my studies and training. It will be hard but not impossible,” he said.
Muhammad Hamimi Abdullah, 19, also said it was better to learn in a classroom than virtually.
“Coming back to classes will allow me to ask my teachers more questions,” he said.
“Our next examination will be in August and with very little time left, I need to study harder.”
R. Devendren was excited to meet his friends.
“It has been so long,” he said, adding that it was more comprehensive to learn in classrooms.
About 34,000 students from 250 secondary schools in Perak resumed their classes yesterday.
In Johor Baru, more than 50,000 Form Five and Form Six students from 234 secondary schools started school yesterday.
State education, information, heritage and culture committee chairman Mazlan Bujang said schools were fully prepared to receive students.
“We have taken all measures to ensure the safety and comfort of students and teachers,” he said at SMK Seri Perling here.
Due to floods in the state, Mazlan said schools that had been turned into temporary relief centres would not be shut down.
Student Lishaa Jayabala, 17, was excited to be able to attend classes again as she felt awkward studying through video calls.
Adriena Anisa Mohd Ravi, 17, was happy and not worried about going for classes.
“I felt secure as the teachers are constantly monitoring our situation, and there is also less number of students,” she said.
Chew Poh Shuang, 17, concurred. “There are parents who are worried but the teachers have met with all of the student’s guardians and explained the situation to them even before school was reopened,” she said.
In Sibu, 3,317 Form Five students and 706 Form Six students from 22 schools attended classes yesterday.
District education department head Ahli Chiba said 11 inspection teams with three persons in each would carry out inspections from morning to 1pm everyday.
In Kota Kinabalu, students who had been cooped up at home were excited to be back in school.
Form Five student Syifa Saffiyah Mohamad said she woke up at 5am to prepare for her first day back to school.
“I’m excited because now finally we can go to school, meet up with friends and teachers,” said the Kota Kinabalu High School student.
Lee Cheng Xi of Kian Kok Middle School agreed.
“I was getting bored at home.” Syifa and Lee were among the 45, 065 Form Five and above Sabah students who returned to school yesterday.
State Education Department director Mistirine Radin said everything was going smoothly.
“The attendance rate exceeded 90%,” she said.
KUALA LUMPUR: The reopening of schools ran smoothly yesterday in compliance with the recovery movement control order standard operating procedure (SOP).
After almost three months of closure due to Covid-19, 2,440 secondary schools in the country reopened to enable 500,444 students sitting for their SPM, Sijil Vokasional Malaysia, STPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia and equivalent examinations to catch up with their studies.
Bernama reports that a check on schools nationwide found many teachers wearing face masks and face shields waiting outside the school gate at 7am.
They were armed with infrared thermometer guns to check students’ body temperatures before allowing them in.
Students were also seen wearing face masks and observing social distancing as they began entering the school compounds.
In Selangor, most corridors at SMK Gombak Setia were marked with tape to ensure social distancing. Recess for fifth and upper sixth formers was also divided into three sessions to avoid congestion at the canteen.
In Putrajaya, teachers at SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (1) carried out temperature checks on students before they got out of their parent’s car. Those who were symptomatic were told to go home.
Students arriving by bus were required to walk 50m to the foyer for temperature screening. And if their temperature was above 37.5°C, they were taken to an isolation room until their parents could take them home.
Soon after having their temperatures taken, students queued to wash hands, keeping a metre apart from each other, before heading to the class. The school divided their original seven Form Five classes into 12.
Earlier, a check by The Star at the same school showed teachers had their temperatures checked by the school guards as they arrived.