THE government must reconsider its plans to reopen school on January 20 while Covid-19 cases spike and the east coast is swamped by massive floods, said the National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA).

NPTA recommends that schools open in stages instead.

“For a start, the government should only allow pupils who are sitting for exams back in school. This is important because they need face-to-face interaction with the teachers to prepare. It is not the same as learning online,” said NPTA president Prof Dr Mohamad Ali Hasan.

Classes should start first for form four, five and six to be followed by the lower forms when the epidemic abates.

“This can be done when everyone is vaccinated and the cases are under control,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“Of course, we are concerned about proper education for our children but the numbers keep increasing and have gone up to more than 3,000 cases a day.”

It was announced in August that the school year will start on January 20. SPM and STPM examinations have been pushed forward to the first quarter of 2021.

Ali urged the government to prioritise the teachers and school staff for inoculation when the shots become available.

He said teachers must be treated as front-liners as they come into contact with thousands of pupils.

Let parents decide

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the schools need to tighten the rules for health and safety to reassure parents reluctant to send their children back to school.

“Schools should reopen but in such unprecedented times, parents should be allowed to decide if they want their children to attend,” she said.

At the same time, the teachers have the duty to ensure the children do not mingle to avoid infection.

“School leaders and teachers can be assigned for these tasks and take action where necessary.”

She said the long break would have had an effect on the pupils’ progress.

“We have yet to reach the desired level for online lessons to be effective. The pupils are already one academic year behind.

“Definitely the education of every child at every level is affected one way or another. As such, rather than assessment by examination, perhaps the children could be assessed by school activities.”

Azimah called on the government to stop politicking and focus on getting the form five and six pupils safely back in school. 

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan said teachers have a duty to their pupils even in challenging times.

“There will always be concerns but we must do our duty and do it well for the betterment of the society. Just like the front-liners, we have our obligations.”

Tan agrees that the schoolchildren have fallen behind in their education because of the disruptions to their learning schedule. 

“This is a pandemic, it affects everyone. So, we have got to make the best of the situation and we strongly urge the parents to always engage with their children’s teachers to make the best out of what we have.”

He said teachers are usually dedicated to their job and will do their utmost to make sure their young charges do not fail in school.

Tan emphasises on the need for a “holistic” education that focuses on academic studies, psychomotor development and mental maturity.

“Online education is only one of the means towards holistic education.”

As for parents who are loath to send their children to school at this time, Tan said that is a decision for them to make. – January 8, 2021.