KUALA LUMPUR – Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching has hit out at Putrajaya’s bungling of a directive exempting children with Covid-19 symptoms from attending school.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba yesterday said students whose family members display symptoms do not need to come to class.
There have been cases of children from coronavirus-hit households infecting their classmates, he said.
“We have explained to all schools that any student showing (Covid-19) symptoms does not need to attend class. (The symptoms) include fever, sore throat, cough, and loss of taste and smell.
“If their parents or family members living with them have these symptoms, the students should not go to school, either.”
Teo, however, said issues cropped up with an Education Ministry directive in which Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said children not attending school must provide supporting documents, such as an MC from the doctor.
Radzi’s deputy, Datuk Mah Hang Soon, then said the ministry is not forcing parents to send their children to school – in contrast to the ministry’s earlier statement.
The conflicting information has caused confusion among parents and teachers on the standard operating procedures for schools, in view of the rising number of Covid-19 infections on these premises.
To date, 79 schools have been ordered closed in Selangor and 20 in Penang. Schools in other states, including Sabah and Sarawak, too, have been told to shut following the detection of Covid-19 cases.
“(The Education Ministry) closed all schools nationwide in November last year, when daily cases were around 1,000. Now, we have gone up to 2,000 cases a day,” said Teo.
“When schools reopened, the ministry did not have clear guidelines and SOPs for (infection) prevention.
“No concerted effort was made to vaccinate teachers on the front lines, and till today, the majority of them have not received the vaccine.” – The Vibes, April 27, 2021
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