Ministry of Education knows best – Union
SIBU: The process of reopening schools in the country should not be hurried in the interest of the safety and health of teachers and students, with any decision on the matter left to the discretion of the Ministry of Education (MoE), says Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) president Macky Joseph.
He said the people should refrain from speculating on when classes would resume, adding that any decision to reopen has to be accompanied by a strict standard operating procedure (SOP) that stresses on ways to maintain hygiene and crowd control to ensure the virus does not spread in schools.
“We urge that the process (of reopening schools) not be hurried as the safety of teachers and students are of great concern,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He also said that once schools get the green light to resume classes, all parties need to be obedient and disciplined in complying with the SOP, not just within the school compound but also outside.
Responding to Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian who in a recent Facebook post had suggested that Form 4 and Form 5 classes could restart soon, Macky said the matter should be left for MoE to decide.
He pointed out that Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin had previously stated the ministry would give a 14day notice to schools before reopening, with face-to-face classes limited to Form 5 and
Form 6 initially.
Dr Sim, in his post last Friday, said he believed that students in Form 4 and 5 would be better able to adhere to certain ‘principles’ or to the SOP to break the chain of Covid-19 infection, but that it would be tremendously challenging for younger children such as those in primary school to return too soon.
Board of Management of Kuching Chung Hua Middle Schools No. 1, 3 and 4 chairman Dato Richard Wee agreed that the decision to reopen schools should be left to the MoE, saying he believes the ministry would know what is best for students in the country.
“We will have to wait for the ministry to come up with the SOP if we want to reopen schools.
“I do believe the MoE will consult with the Health Ministry and others first before making an announcement on the reopening of schools in the country,” he said when contacted.
Wee added that priority to return to school should be given to students sitting for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysian (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), which have been postponed due to the pandemic.
The government in April had announced the cancellation of this year’s Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) examinations, as well as the postponement of SPM and STPM to the first quarter of next year.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) president Ahmad Malie said even with an SOP as a guideline, the large number of students in schools means that ensuring the safety of students would remain an issue.
“Students, as many would know, are unpredictable in their behaviour, thus there is a need to emphasise on their safety,” he said.
Concurring with Macky and Wee, he said KGBS believes that the decision to reopen schools should best be left to the MoE.
“The educational institution is large and involves a large number of students and is not like other institutions or government agencies.
“We respect the opinion of anyone who wants to see schools open again, but I don’t think anyone should talk about the issue of reopening the schools apart from the MoE,” Ahmad said.