KUALA LUMPUR: It is safer to get children back into classrooms as long as schools are vigilant about physical distancing, mask-wearing and sanitisation, educators said.
Sapura Amat, the headmistress of SMK Seri Mulia in Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras here said the school practises strict compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP), thus it is safe for children to be in school.
She said it is important for schools to remain open as those unable to access in-person schooling risk falling further behind in their studies, with the marginalised being the most affected.
"We (the administration and teachers) are constantly reminding students to follow the SOP at all times," she said at the school.
She said if Covid-19 cases continued to escalate, Form 5 students should be prioritised and allowed to attend in-person classes, especially since they are the first cohort of the newly-introduced Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah (KSSM).
Teachers said should the Covid-19 situation in the country worsen, the government could apply a rotation system with a focus on Form Three and Form Five students.
English teacher Victoria Francis, 40, said the most vulnerable children and those unable to access virtual learning are at an increased risk of being left behind in studies, facing depression and even abuse, which could lead to other social problems if they continue to face disruption to their education.
"Besides, the English subject requires teachers to assess students' reading, speaking, listening and writing skills, which can be very difficult compared with in-person where we can identify the areas that need improvement and guide them.
"Also, we are in an area with an urban poor community who do not own gadgets. These students need the support to readjust and catch up on their learning."
Hamizah Abas, 41, who teaches principles of accounting, said face-to-face teaching and learning is needed to ensure students can understand the subject matter.
"Online learning is only about 30 per cent effective compared with in-person learning where it could reach up to 80 per cent.
According to the Health Ministry, from Jan 1 to April 20, 39 clusters were identified from the 10,000 schools under the Education Ministry.
This comprises 0.39 per cent or 1,420 positive cases from the total student population of five million and 500,000 teachers (0.2 per cent).
Thus, out of every 100 cases in Education Ministry-run schools, fewer than 30 cases are due to infections in schools. while more than 70 per cent of cases of infection are from parents of students or teachers' spouses, close relatives, tuition centres and other family activities outside the home.
According to the Health Ministry, clusters involving educational institutions have doubled from six to 12 in seven days last week. Following this, a number of schools in several states was ordered to be closed.
Parent-Teacher Association president Mohd Nazri Yusof, 53 said there are two groups of parents — the marginalised or from the urban poor community and those from affluent or middle class families — whose homes are equipped with Internet facilities, each child has his own device and they can afford tuition.
"But there is also a large group of underprivileged families who only have basic amenities, their families are large and they do not have a conducive learning environment.
"If schools are closed, the gap between these two groups will continue to widen."