Is closing all schools the right move?

 

A big question in many people’s minds is whether the proposed temporary closure of all schools is a pragmatic move in curbing the spread of Covid-19 in educational institutions.

This is being hotly debated as outbreaks involving teachers and students are increasingly detected in schools, causing some schools to be ordered to close.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba was quoted as saying in a media report that a total of 83 Covid-19 clusters related to the educational sector were reported nationwide from Jan 1 to April 20, involving 4,868 cases.

Meanwhile, data from the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) showed that 49 clusters (59.04 percent), with 2,617 cases, were still active, while 34 clusters (40.96 percent), with 2,251 cases, had been declared ended.

Based on the available data, which is seen as worrying, several parties, including the National Parents-Teacher Associations Consultative Council (PIBGN), have proposed to the Education Ministry (MOE), Health Ministry (MOH) and the National Security Council (MKN) that all schools be closed temporarily.

“Based on the response we received, the majority of parents do not want to send their children to school at this time, for fear of being infected with the virus. Most of them hope that schools will be closed,” said PIBGN president associate prof Mohamad Ali Hasan.

However, will the temporary closure of all schools be the best course of action? What is more, if the school closure is implemented, it is certain that home-based teaching and learning sessions (PdPR) will be the main choice in ensuring the continuous learning process.

This situation is actually quite worrying for academics, considering that the findings of previous studies found that PdPR has caused many students to be left out in learning.

Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia counselling psychologist Prof Mohamed Fadzil Che Din said closing schools may not be the best solution at present.

He said that the proposals of several parties, including the PIBGN, on the matter, were too early and would create various problems including aspects of teaching and learning among students.

“Previously, parents did not send their children to school due to having extreme concerns and anxieties. They were afraid due to a lack of information about cases. Were the cases serious? Would this Covid-19 be life-threatening and interfere with the growth of their children?

“While for teachers... to attend school or not depends on the situation or their positions,” he said.

He said if school closures are being implemented and replaced with the PdPR method as applied previously, it will create limitations in student learning sessions.

“When studying at home, these students face parents who have no knowledge or teaching skills. They are unsure, and trying to teach can result in them being stressed.

“Therefore, face-to-face teaching is given priority because teachers are trained and have extensive teaching experience, and it is a loss if the advantages of teachers’ professionalism are not fully utilised,” he said.

Hence, he is of the view that there is no need to close all schools if the number of those at risk is low.

“If we look at the MOH data, that in every 10 classes there is only one affected class, there is no need to close the entire school.

“We can also use a school-sharing approach. For example, if school A is affected and needs to be closed for sanitation purposes, maybe we can use school B, which is located nearby, to accommodate school A students, where they can continue their lessons,” he said.

Meanwhile, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) senior lecturer Associate Prof Azlin Norhaini Mansor said that the increase in Covid-19 cases is expected to be reduced if there are a limited number of schools opened.

She stressed that the most reasonable option is limiting the number of secondary schools because the students can follow the PdPR more effectively compared with primary school pupils.

At present, there are 7,780 primary schools with 2.7 million pupils and 2,440 secondary schools with two million students.

If PdPR is implemented again, she said that MOE should use the PdPR 1.0 handbook, because it is more suitable for the online school schedule, which is not too burdensome for teachers and allows students to master the subjects taught.

“Even after receiving the vaccine, it is not certain that the situation will return to the way it used to be. The practice of wearing masks and frequent hand washing, as well as compliance with the standard operating procedure is expected to remain a part of one’s lifestyle, including in schools,” she said.

- Bernama