PETALING JAYA: A health watchdog has warned that Covid-19 preventive measures in preschools and kindergartens will be short-lived, as centres prepare to reopen after months of closure under the movement control order (MCO).
“How do you ensure that young children in preschool adhere to social distancing rules? Will every object touched by a child be disinfected?
“The reality is that any protocol relating to Covid-19 prevention and control in preschools, kindergartens and primary schools will not survive the first period of the first hour of the first day of school,” Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib told FMT.
Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Monday that preschools and kindergartens would be allowed to operate from July 1, stating that the decision was made after the education ministry proposed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for them.
Ismail said the preschool and kindergarten SOPs, which have yet to be announced, would apply to the children’s time in class, recess and while entering and leaving classes.
But Azrul said the social behaviour of young children, especially those in preschool, included coming in close contact with one another and being highly active.
This would make compliance with any SOP “a herculean task” for teachers and school administrators, he added.
A total of 6,216 public and 7,887 private preschools, as well as 8,530 kindergartens under the rural development ministry and 1,781 under the national unity ministry will be allowed to reopen on July 1.
Schools across the country have been on a break since March 14 due to the first-term school holidays and the MCO meant to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Education Minister Radzi Jidin said last week that Form Five and Six students would return to school on June 24, with classes limited to 20 students each. However, he did not provide a schedule for the resumption of other classes.
Among the SOPs released by the education ministry earlier this month are a one-metre gap between desks when schools eventually reopen and a rule that children should eat their recess snacks in teacher-supervised classrooms to prevent overcrowding at canteens.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Azam Mohd Nor said it would be more challenging for younger children to adhere to SOPs such as social distancing.
Azam, from Pantai Hospital, suggested that schools be reopened in stages or according to a staggered timetable.
“It is crucial for classes to resume and children to continue their education,” Azam told FMT. “However, both parents and school administrators have to monitor the children closely.”
In a statement to FMT, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said it was confident that the relevant ministries would have assessed the safety levels of reopening preschools and kindergartens before Monday’s announcement.
Adding that teachers and staff at preschools and kindergartens might need to find creative ways to get children to adapt to their new school environment, MMA president Dr N Ganabaskaran said they also had “a great responsibility” to ensure they did not bring infections to schools.
Although the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) supports the government’s move to resume preschool and kindergarten classes on July 1, it said parents would have the final say.
Quoting an article from the Malaysian Paediatric Association regarding the safety of reopening schools, PAGE spokesman Tunku Munawirah Putra said it was “somewhat safe” to reopen schools as long as proper measures were in place to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
“Reopening is a fine balance between risking exposure (to Covid-19) and nurturing their minds. At this point, prolonged school closure would cause more harm than the virus itself,” she told FMT.
“Ultimately, the decision to send children to school depends on their parents and whether they are confident in the SOPs and their implementation.” - FMT
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