THE reopening of schools nationwide from March to April 2021 will be a major battle in our nation’s war against Covid-19.
The announcement has sparked much debate, controversy and even fear. This is because all but one state in Malaysia is under MCO or CMCO. Moreover, the country is still recording thousands of coronavirus cases and most teachers will likely not be vaccinated before the scheduled reopening.
Still, the need to restart Malaysia’s education system is understandable as the limitations of the “new normal” of online learning have become quite obvious in the past weeks.
Successfully carrying out the reopening of schools will be a crucial factor in determining whether the country properly recovers from the current third wave of Covid-19.
What is clear however is that the lives of students, teachers and their families will be put at risk if they are left to face this task on their own.
This must not happen. The federal government – which controls and is ultimately responsible for our education system – must be willing to invest the time, money, manpower and effort to ensure that all schools are able to properly implement social distancing and other SOPs, whether in terms of physical infrastructure, administrative processes and so on.
.jpg)
The initial SOPs by the Education Ministry should be strictly adhered to and enhanced while keeping in mind the following:
1. All schools are different, especially those in underprivileged, remote or rural areas. More assistance must be given to those schools.
2. The SOPs themselves must be clear, simple and easy for school-going children to follow.
3. There must be measures in place to ensure continuity of teaching and learning and a smooth transition if there is a need to abruptly close schools again.
For instance, the much talked-about “150,000 laptops” programme should still be continued; but the government must insist that vendors ensure that these devices can be used both in and outside schools.
4. Efforts to ensure the best possible internet and device access to all Malaysian students must be stepped up relentlessly.
5. The government must also realise that the reopening has caused exasperation for some parents. The bungled roll out of the home-based teaching and learning (PdPr) programme means many have had to make sacrifices to buy devices for their children at a time of great economic hardship.
There have also been reports that some parents have spent much of their i-Sinar withdrawals or even had to resort to loan sharks to get the money needed. This could have all been avoided if the government had done its job of protecting Malaysian children and their parents by providing free laptops, discounts on data plans or free WIFI and low- or no-interest loans for gadgets for education. But it failed to do so due to a sheer lack of political will.
The remedy in this case should be to integrate devices into learning.
Successfully doing this will also help if there is a need to move back to online learning for any reason.
However, the government must again be flexible when considering the multitude of devices potentially involved: some children will have laptops, others will have tablets or phones. But all should be helped, rather than hindered in their ability to learn.
As per the latest schedule, the first schools in Malaysia are supposed to reopen in March. As such, we need to know what the government’s plans are and we need to know them NOW.
The Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin must not be silent, or absent, or appear only to make pronouncements.
This battle will be lost before it has even begun if its “general” is missing in action.
I also note that the launch of DidikTV has sparked additional debate, including over its delivery, format and quality.
The government should take constructive feedback with an open heart and be willing to work to ensure DidikTV reaches the highest standards on all fronts.
There must be a follow up and the government cannot simply be content to issue instructions, while hoping things sort themselves out.
Finally, there will still be much work to be done even if we successfully reopen our education system, while recovering from the pandemic, including monitoring the development and outcomes of the SPM classes for 2020 and 2021, given the disruptions that this and other members of the “Covid Generation” have faced.
Our battle against the impact of Covid-19 will continue for years, if not decades after the pandemic ends.
Winning this fight will require foresight, planning, hard work, flexibility and above all, leadership.
Can we trust that the current Perikatan Nasional government is willing or even able to provide this?
Nik Nazmi Ahmad is PKR parliamentary spokesman for education and Setiawangsa MP
