‘Backup plan required for reopening schools, universities’
KUCHING: The federal government must come up with a back up plan for the reopening of schools and universities in the coming weeks, said academician Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow yesterday.
He said this is because the country is still facing a high number of new Covid-19 infection cases daily, raising the question of whether it is safe for schools and universities to reopen.
The Ministry of Education ( MoE) recently announced that all schools, including private and international schools, will reopen for the 2021 academic calendar on Jan 20, while the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) would allow local students to return to tertiary campuses in phases from March 1.
“Both MoE and MoHE should immediately initiate a back-up plan or Plan B just in case Covid19 infection cases continue at the high rates in the country for the coming days and weeks. The opening process of schools and universities will normally be a burden to students as well as to their parents, especially financially.
“Parents will need to spend a lot of money to prepare their young children for the opening of the new school session. University students will also need to spend a lot of money for them to go back to their respective campuses and to support their staying in the campus.
“It would be a great disappointment for all these students and their parents if schools and universities are told to be close again a few days or weeks after they open due to Covid-19,” said Muzaffar, who is a senior lecturer at the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Faculty of Syariah and Law.
He stressed it is crucial for the government, especially MoE and MoHE, to immediately deal with this matter.
Muzaffar suggested continuing the online teaching and learning carried out last year.
“Every concerned party in the country must be mentally and emotionally prepared if they are being asked to continue using the online teaching and learning process.
“This is very important in order to stop the spread of Covid-19 itself and to ensure the safety and health of our students in schools and universities. The proposed back-up plan or Plan B needs to be drafted and announced immediately by both ministries.
“Both students and parents need to be informed at an early point on such a back-up plan or Plan B in order for them to make all the necessary preparations and to prevent future chaos,” he said.
He said although online teaching and learning have been developed in the country for the last few years, they had not been implemented and utilised entirely.
“Only when we are faced with an emergency like today, with the spread of Covid-19, and the instruction over closure of schools and universities by the government did everybody start to force themselves to fully make use of such modern methods of teaching and learning,” he said.
Muzaffar hoped complaints on such efforts would not stop schools and universities from utilising modern methods of teaching and learning as part of the national education policy.
Some advantages to online teaching and learning include course material accessibility, flexible scheduling, more academic options, and the opportunity to build valuable skills, he said.
“Online teaching and learning also provide the opportunity for individuals to build valuable life and professional skills. Online teaching and learning can help students improve their time management skills and can increase their discipline level.
“In addition, with online learning, a student may develop the technological skills needed for their future careers. Knowledge of the functions of the Internet, typing, and software programs are necessary to be considered digitally literate, and online teaching and learning can help strengthen these skills,” he said.
He called for larger government allocations in this area.
“Our educators and students in schools and universities need to be given enough facilities and more training in order to make online teaching and learning a permanent reality and not just to be used or utilised during emergency periods only,” he added.