Fun, games and SOP all part of their day
PETALING JAYA: With the reopening of kindergartens and preschools, some centres have taken action to restrict the number of pupils attending and imposed safeguards that are in line with the SOP set by the government.
Principal of Nalanda Kindergarten in Taman Setapak, Rita Wong, said the school is only open for five and six-year-old children in July with shorter school hours, while four and three-year-olds will be starting school next month.
“We met teachers from all the kindergarten branches a week before the reopening to discuss and highlight the SOP that we have to follow. Parents have also been briefed about the changes and precautionary measures taken by the school, such as sterilising classes before reopening and prohibiting any group activities,” she added.
Rita said the school provides face shields for every child and teacher, and the face shields will be kept and sterilised at school every day.
The kindergarten does temperature checks twice a day, before a child enters the school and before going home, in order to ensure the safety of the children and the school, Rita noted.
“The children sit at a designated chair and table to practice social distancing, which is limited to two per table and activities that involve touching are strictly prohibited,” she said.
“We understand that it is difficult for the children to follow social distancing at the school but we try our best to educate the children before they start school via daily teleconferencing sessions that talks about the Covid-19 virus and preventive measures,” she added.
Six-year-old Lai Dong Yang said he has been reminded by his teachers and parents to sanitise his hands regularly, and that he is not allowed to hug his friends or teachers at school.
“I’m happy to see my friends but I cannot play with my friends, go near them and share food,” echoed another six-year-old Tan Jun Yan.
Kindergarten teacher Woo Mei Yin, who is assigned to take temperature checks at the school gate, said activities at the school have also been adjusted to suit the SOP.
“The children have to eat their food at their respective tables which are served by teachers. Activities are also restricted to ones that do not involve any physical touching, such as dancing at their own place,” she said.
“We have to frequently remind them of these practices, and they will follow them,” she added.
Parent Lai Kian Chang said the procedures taken by the school has eased his worries about sending his son to school.
“As the number of Covid-19 cases have also drastically dropped, I’m more confident about sending my son to school as I believe the situation is under control.
“We have also been informed by the school about the SOP in place, such as parents having to wait in their cars when sending our kids, as well as other sanitisation and social distancing practices,” he added.