KUALA LUMPUR – The Education Ministry has a set of new guidelines, in a bid to improve school management during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Education Director-General Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim told a press conference that the document, titled “School Management and Operations Under the New Norm 2.0”, improves and updates previous guidelines.
“The guideline touches on various safety aspects of students, such as when they enter school, how to control their movement on school grounds, and when they leave,” she was quoted as saying by The Star.
“It also shows how to manage students, teachers and school staff who either test positive for Covid-19 or are close contacts.”
She said the new guidelines came into effect on February 9.
Some pointers in the new guidelines include:
- School administrators must maintain confidentiality of students who test positive for Covid-19.
- Educational institutions with Covid-19 cases will be closed for disinfection and contact tracing. Students will be allowed to return home or stay at hostels depending on advice from the Health Ministry.
- Managing students, teachers and school staff who are Covid-19 positive:
1) The nearest district health office (PKD) must be informed for further instruction, and the patient must constantly wear a mask.
2) Isolate the patient in a different room, and if possible, one that is close to a bathroom and is well-ventilated.
3) Ensure that the individual in charge of the patient always wears a mask, disposable gloves and aprons, keeps a minimum 1m distance, washing hands frequently.
4) Monitor the patient’s movements.
5) Collaborate with the PKD to investigate and identify close contacts. The patient and their close contacts will be managed by the PKD.
6) If the health district officer does not arrive (on time) or on PKD’s instructions, family members must be informed to pick them up from school. Only one person is allowed to fetch the patient and they must return home immediately. They have to inform the PKD upon reaching home.
7) For boarding school students, patients will be isolated while waiting for the health district officer to arrive.
8) If the school finds the patient’s health deteriorating, immediately call the nearest PKD or 999 for emergency.
9) If the patient is a school warden, staff or a family member who was advised to isolate at home, the school must ensure the patient continues to do so and not come to work.
10) Sanitise equipment that the patient used, and their work area, and get PKD’s advice on the need to disinfect the identified location.
11) Advise the patient to continuously update their health status on the MySejahtera app or the Home Assessment Tool.
12) Patient’s food and drink must be arranged by the school based on the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedures.
- Managing students, teachers and school staff who are identified as Covid-19 close contacts:
1) Inform the nearest PKD to receive instructions.
2) Ensure the close contact is always wearing a mask.
3) Isolate the close contact in a different room, and if possible, in one close to the bathroom and ventilation facilities.
4) Monitor the close contact’s movement.
5) Collaborate with PKD during contact tracing.
6) Ensure the teacher or individual who is in charge of the close contact wears a mask, disposable gloves, and an apron, keeps a minimum 1m distance from the patient, and washes their hands frequently.
7) Parents or guardians of students identified as close contacts must pick up their child from school and return home.
8) For boarding school students, they will be isolated while waiting for the health district officer to arrive for further action. Close contacts must stay isolated in their room for at least 10 days or as advised by PKD.
9) If the close contact is a school warden, staff, or a family member who was advised to isolate at home, the school must ensure they continue to do so.
10) Sanitise equipment the close contact used, and their work area, and get PKD’s advice on the need to disinfect the identified location.
- Managing students, teachers, and school staff who show Covid-19 symptoms:
- If schools have been informed that their student, teacher, warden, or staff are showing symptoms such as fever, cough, cold, sore throat, and shortness of breath while in school, schools must take the following steps.
1) Contact and get PKD’s advice for further action.
2) Isolate the affected person while they wait to receive treatment and give them masks to be worn at all times.
3) Inform the affected person’s family members.
- School hours can be implemented in stages after the approval of the state registrar to avoid congestion. Schools can follow the five models listed below to manage students’ movement:
1) Model 1 - waiting areas are within school grounds
2) Model 2 - one way direction
3) Model 3 - People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), police, alumni, volunteers, community, and parents help in controlling student movement
4) Model 4 - dispersing students in stages
5) Model 5 - students wait in their classrooms (calling system)
- Students, teachers, and school staff are required to wear face masks on school grounds. – The Vibes, February 18, 2021
