By Mariam Mokhtar

Alarmed by a teacher who tested positive for the coronavirus that morning, school administrator Bobbi wrote to express the collective worries and angst of the teachers and employees in her school.

Despite the school's headmaster informing the Ipoh Jabatan Pendidikan about the teacher's positive test result, he was powerless to order a closure of the school to prevent further spread of the virus.

Bobbi said, "Apparently only the Pengarah Pendidikan can order the school to be shut. The head has no authority. I don't know if any of the parents are aware that a teacher tested positive. There would be chaos if they were to find out.

"I can understand the need not to overreact, nevertheless we are all worried for our health and safety. We are afraid that by the time the order to shut our doors comes through, infection rates may rise."

This was the first time anyone from her school had contracted the coronavirus and she is not sure of the procedure followed by other schools whose staff or pupils had been infected with the virus.

Bobbi shared a list of schools in Selangor which had been closed for two days, on 26 and 27 April, because of a coronavirus infection which had been detected on 25 April.

On 26 April, it was reported that 20 schools in Penang were closed because of infection. Little information was made available.

Bobbi said, "Why has the ministry not released a statement about the school closures? Their silence is not reassuring. Moreover, what happened to the directive to shut the school even if there was one coronavirus case? Ours is still open!"

One week ago, deputy education minister Mah Hang Soon issued a directive which had been sanctioned by minister Radzi Jidin, which stated that any school which reported even one case of coronavirus would be shut for two days.

During the school closure, disinfection and sanitization works would take place to reassure teachers, students and parents that the school would be safe to return to after the break.

Bobbi said that her school staff were puzzled about waiting for the directive from the Pengarah before they could shut.

Moreover, teachers were angry about the lack of information from the ministry.

She was puzzled that schools would be fined for any coronavirus outbreak and said, "We do not know whom our students, teachers and staff mix with after school hours. They may have come upon an infected person, so is it fair to fine the school?"

This failure to keep schools informed with up-to-date information has also been noticed by activist Rani Kulup.

Furious about the minister's silence, he tweeted, "Schools are closed, teachers and pupils have contracted coronavirus, and the schools are fined by the police, but Minister Radzi is busy attending breaking of fast events."

The ministry said that affected students from closed schools could continue with their schooling through home-based internet learning; but many teachers are unhappy about this.

One said, "The ministry should equip us with the necessary tools to enable online learning. Why do they claim ignorance? They are only good at barking orders. They know that facilities for online learning are inadequate."

Bobbi said many teachers had to use their own money to buy their own computer equipment. They also had to pay for faster internet connection. They are not subsidized.

Teachers also complained that not all students were able to afford tablets, computers or smartphones for online learning.

A teacher said, "Many parents only have one tablet which they have to share with all their school-going children. What does a parent do if the online lessons for her three children take place at the same time?"

Teachers also said that not all pupils would attend online classes and for those who did, many lacked concentration and focus. Many students would instead prefer to spend their time on the internet playing games.

Some parents have complained that their children do not enjoy their online lessons. They miss the social interaction and engagement with their teachers and friends.

Some claim that their children suffer depression because of this.

Others who have the means to purchase the best tablets are also at a disadvantage because they live in areas with poor WiFi connection.

They wonder why the ministries of multimedia & communication, and education are unable to work together to improve the online learning experience of children and teachers.

One teacher said, "Is the ministry willing to subsidize our online needs? Will they improve connectivity?"

Previous abrupt U-turns about school closures and reopening have created havoc with child care arrangements.

One parent said, "We can't just abandon our work to care for our children at home. Not all of us have sympathetic bosses.

"Babysitting and childcare services have to be arranged. We cannot leave the younger children at home unsupervised. We also need notice to cancel any transport arrangements."

Both parents and teachers claim that the ministry rarely consults them and fails to give ample warning about the changes.

They want solutions to their problems, not silence.

Source:

1. New Straits Times: Covid-19: Return to online lessons after Raya hols for all schools

2. Sinar Harian: 79 sekolah di Selangor diarah tutup

3. Malaysiakini: Schools hit by Covid-19 will close for 2 days in new govt directive

4. Tweet by Abdul Rani Kulup Fans

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)