By: Alfisyah Dianasari) *
April 2021 there is a face-to-face (offline) school trial. In this experimental stage, we will see whether the Covid cases will increase or decrease. This online school which was run for a year turned out to have several weaknesses. So that schools are expected to be directly held throughout Indonesia soon.
Starting from March 2020, aka 12 months, children are doing distance learning (PJJ). They learn from home because school is one of the new corona clusters. Classes are held via Zoom and several other applications, and students should be complacent about listening to the teacher’s teachings from their own devices, as well as doing homework at home.
The plan was for the school to open in July 2021, aka in the new academic year, but it turned out that the implementation was accelerated. This April, in a number of cities / regencies in Central Java, it has been reopened even though it is in the trial phase. The opening of this school is also intended so that students do not miss their lessons too much, because online learning is considered less effective.
However, the opening of schools must be in accordance with procedures. President Jokowi reminded regional heads who wanted to reopen face-to-face school activities to pay attention to the conditions of Covid-19 in their regions. When there is an increase in corona cases, this activity must be stopped. In addition, face-to-face meetings are also limited, aka the number of students who come is a maximum of 50% of class capacity.
The message from the president is very important, because children’s health takes precedence. Moreover, those who are still in kindergarten and elementary school. These children are more susceptible to corona, especially since there has been no notification whether they can get the covid vaccine. Because the average vaccine in Indonesia is given to residents aged at least 12 years.
President Jokowi added that each regional head must do 3T intensively (testing, tracing, and treating). So that each corona patient is recorded and efforts are made so as not to spread to many people. The orange zone is strived to be green. In that sense, all of these efforts were made so that the pandemic would end soon.
School openings are also required to comply with health protocols. Apart from limiting the number of students entering, everyone (students and teachers) is also required to wear a mask, not just a face shield. Everyone who comes to school is required to wash their hands and bring hand sanitizers, and not crowd. Students are prohibited from playing on the field in groups.
In addition, school hours are also arranged so that they are not too long. Because if school goes until the afternoon as usual, children are afraid of being tired and eventually their immunity will drop and they are easy to get corona. If they go to school until noon or evening, they will definitely starve and open their supplies. There is the danger, because opening the mask automatically and you can get droplets from OTG, and contract the corona.
Strict health protocols are enforced and there is one more condition to open schools, namely vaccinating teachers. They have to get the Sinovac vaccine first and then be allowed to teach. In addition to avoiding transmission to many students, teachers are more at risk of contracting corona, because their mobility is also quite high.
The opening of post-school at home schools is a breath of fresh air for parents, because they feel exhausted when teaching their own children. Especially if the mother is a career woman, she cannot 100% accompany the child to study at home. So that when the school opened again, they cheered happily.
Face-to-face school trials in several regions in Indonesia must comply with health protocols, such as mandatory wearing of masks, washing hands, and maintaining distance. Students should not be in groups, therefore they take turns in classes, so that the maximum capacity in the class is 50%. Hopefully after school opens, the children will get smarter and no one will get corona.
) * The author is a citizen living in Depok
