Pupils observing SOPs on first school day: Radzi

PUTRAJAYA – The first day of schools reopening involving preschoolers, Year 1 and 2 pupils nationwide today witnessed a high level of compliance with standard operating procedure (SOP) among school employees and students.

Senior Minister (Education) Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said the decision to give priority to primary school pupils to start their school sessions was to give them space to adapt to the situation and SOPs.

“Alhamdulillah, compliance with SOPs in schools is good. Sometimes, we think that these children will not be obedient, but if we go and see for ourselves  –  and I visited schools without informing them of my visit beforehand – we can see that these children are complying with the SOP, especially in classrooms.

“That is why in our schools, we are trying to minimise their movements. We discussed with the Health Ministry and National Security Council (NSC) on the best approach, which is to minimise movement,” he told a press conference here today.

Radzi said he visited two schools today and found that parents also complied with the guidelines set by only sending their children to the school gate, with students brought into the classroom by their teachers.

Radzi said his ministry has informed schools of various models that can be used during the dispersal period for pupils at the end of their school day, which can be held in stages to ensure not too many leave at any one time.

“The headmaster can gauge the situation in the school, about the road or congestion, and can choose what the best approach to disperse the students is.

“That is why for this week’s session, we are giving flexibility for them to do it in stages but it depends on the capacity of the school.”

He said cooperation from parents is also crucial to ensure congestion is reduced in front of the school. – Bernama, March 1, 2021