Teachers' union objects to Covid tests at schools, suggests testing at home

 

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) is objecting to the implementation of Covid-19 screening tests for primary school students every Wednesday beginning Dec 1.

Instead, NUTP secretary-general Wang Heng Suan suggested that pupils take the tests at home carried out by parents and that the parents of those selected to undergo the test should be told beforehand and supplied with test kits.

The parents can then submit the test results by uploading images of the results to their respective class teachers, he said in a statement today.

Wang said this was after NUTP received complaints from teachers that asking teachers to conduct RTK-antigen Covid-19 tests for primary school students is dangerous and puts teachers at risk.

“This is because the teachers are not given any protective gear, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves, face shields, among others, when conducting the screenings.

“The pupils are also unable to do the test themselves,” he said.

"The pupils should be allowed to attend school on the day if their results are negative, and quarantine at home if otherwise,” he added.

Wang said this method would help prevent Covid-19 transmission to teachers and school staff in the event pupils test positive.

He said NUTP hoped the Education Ministry (MOE) would reconsider the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the sake of the safety and health of pupils, teachers, and school staff.

The MOE on Nov 27 said primary school pupils would undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests based on a rotational basis every Wednesday in line with the National Covid-19 Testing Strategy set by the Health Ministry.

MOE said the tests must be done every Wednesday, which is a schooling day.

The MOE has supplied self-test kits to primary schools to ensure the tests can be done according to the Covid-19 self-test procedure in the Guidelines for School Management and Operation 3.0.

- Bernama