KAJANG: Temperature screening before entering the school compound and eating in classrooms during recess period are among the new normal practices that students need to adapt to when schools reopen.
Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said the guidelines stipulated that teachers are to carry out body temperature checks when the students entered school compounds.
If they show any symptoms, further action would be taken.
"We are also aware that some students walk or cycle to school and the temperature would be slightly above 37.5 degrees Celsius... so these students will be asked to rest first to ensure that their body temperature returns to normal before it is checked again.
"Each school will have an isolation room. If the student shows any symptoms they will be brought there and the school, besides contacting the parents, will also contact the nearest health centre for further action," he said.
Mohd Radzi, who is also a senior minister, said this to Bernama after a visit to see the preparations for the reopening of schools at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Engku Husain, Semenyih, here, recently.
Also present were Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, National Security Council (MKN) director-general Mohd Rabin Basir and Education director-general Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim.
The new normal practices are among the Ministry of Education's school reopening management guidelines to be distributed to schools beginning today. It is also posted on the ministry's website.
The 34-page detailed guidelines were developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Security Council (NSC).
Meanwhile, Mohd Radzi said parents did not have to worry about social distancing during school recess as the children would only be allowed at the canteen area in stages and they would eat their meals in the classrooms.
"Students need to buy packed foods and they will be queuing with a one-meter gap between one person and another before returning to their classrooms to eat.
"Hence, the situation at the canteen will be in an orderly manner and the parents don't have to worry about the kids jostling to buy food as the recess period will be carried out in stages to ensure that not all students would gather at the canteen at any one time," he said.
In order to maintain social distancing between students, the tables in the classrooms must have a one-metre gap.
He added the school labs also shared similar settings to ensure learning could be carried out in an orderly and safely manner.
Commenting on the movement of students in the school area, he said the direction of the students would be marked with arrows to avoid crowding.
He said the guidelines also emphasised on teachers' well-being, safety and health.
He added that teachers did not have to worry about being placed in a cramped teachers' room as the school must ensure that there was social distancing even in the teachers' room and there were teachers who would be placed in other suitable rooms including resource centres and so on.
The ministry has issued similar guidelines for students in dormitories where their beds would be spaced one metre apart and the dining hall would emphasise on social distancing among students, he said.
Once schools reopen, the ministry would see how the guidelines were being implemented and if there was room for improvement.
It would then be carried out to ensure that students follow the teaching and learning (PdP) process in a safe environment.
"We sincerely hope the students will practice social distancing while they are at school and throughout their journey to and from school," Mohd Radzi said. -- BERNAMA