KUALA LUMPUR – A parent at a secondary school in Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam, has expressed his concern over the safety of his children, as well as of others, following the lack of measures taken by the school management and health authorities in handling Covid-19 outbreaks.
S. Shashi Kumar, whose two children study at SMK Kota Kemuning, said despite recording Covid-19 cases in the school and many close contacts identified, the authorities are opting not to shut down the school temporarily as a precautionary measure.
“On April 14, we received a circular from the school that one teacher and two students have been identified as positive for Covid-19. The matter was then brought to the attention of the District Health Office (PKD) for further quarantine process.
“A total of 158 students and four teachers were identified as close contacts and placed under quarantine for 10 days, starting from April 9 to April 18, by PKD officers. Since there were no instructions to close the school from the PKD, the school continued operating as usual,” the 47-year-old told The Vibes via a series of WhatsApp messages.
Many parents including himself expressed shock, he said, when they received another circular from the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) on April 16 that stated another four students and one teacher had tested positive for Covid-19.
“The PKD was informed of the matter. Six classes were then placed under quarantine. A total of 182 students and 41 teachers were made to wear the Covid-19 band while 43 students were instructed to undergo a swab test.
“The circular further stated that those who are wearing the band are required to attend school on April 19, while those who completed their quarantine on April 18 were asked to attend the school to remove the band before being asked to go home after that,” he said.
With the exception of a few parents, Shashi said the majority of them have stopped sending their children to school since April 14, resulting in an almost 90% drop in attendance since the first circular.
“My son has been instructed to self-quarantine at home until further notice. As such, many parents are unhappy with the PKD and the Education Ministry (MoE) as they are not taking this matter seriously, given the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.
“This is a national issue where young school children are vulnerable and risk exposure to Covid-19. Vaccines are mainly given to adults and not children or students.
“I believe this is not affecting only SMK Kota Kemuning... all schools in the country should be shut down until after Hari Raya, at least, when it is totally safe with no risk involved,” he said, adding that the authorities are jeopardising the safety and health of both the student body and teaching staff.
Having spoken to an MoE officer, Shashi said any directive on the temporary closure of affected schools come from the PKD, but the school can recommend a temporary closure through the state Education Department.
“However, nothing has been done to close the school temporarily,” he added.
Covid-19 clusters have begun emerging in schools and educational institutions since last week. Today, of the 14 new clusters identified, six are at education institutions.
In the Klang Valley, SJK(C) Puay Chai 2 in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, was closed temporarily after six students tested positive for Covid-19 while SJK(C) Pin Hwa 1 in Shah Alam was also instructed to close after three teachers tested positive for the virus. – The Vibes, April 19, 2021
