Opposition MPs want education minister out over 'rushed' school reopening

 

Opposition MPs want the Education Ministry to take responsibility for the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in education institutions which they attributed to the "rushed" reopening of schools.

Schools were closed when a second movement control order (MCO) was imposed on Jan 13 but were reopened in phases starting in March.

The MPs said teachers, parents and students were growing anxious at the outbreak of education institutions-related Covid-19 clusters.

They noted that schools were abruptly reopened after only a couple of months of home learning, and there was also a lack of clear standard operating procedures on how schools deal with Covid-19 cases.

A clear directive only came on April 21 when deputy education minister Mah Hang Soon said any school that reported even a single Covid-19 case must close for at least two days.

Previously, some schools only decided to close affected classrooms.

"What is happening now is a situation where the school managements are directionless amid rising Covid-19 cases in schools, but yet they are not prepared for home learning when schools are ordered to close," they said.

They added that the public is not being given clear direction on how the situation will be managed.

As such, the MPs said Mohd Radzi Md Jidin and his two deputies, Mah and Muslimin Yahaya, should resign.

The statement was inked by former education minister Maszlee Malik, who is an independent MP for Simpang Renggam and chairs Pakatan Harapan's education committee.

Harapan representatives who are party to the statement included PKR's Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Amanah's Tampin MP Hasan Baharom and DAP's Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, who was also a former deputy education minister.

Other signatories include Upko's Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance's Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air's Kubang Pasu MP Amiruddin Hamzah and Warisan's Papar MP Ahmad Hassan.

Health Minister Adham Baba had said that between Jan 1 and April 20, a total of 4,868 people in the education sector came down with Covid-19.

Some schools administrators have also lamented that it was becoming increasingly hard to keep the virus at bay. - Mkini