Covid-19: Concerned parents not in a hurry to send kids back to school

PETALING JAYA (June 1): Many worried parents are not in a hurry for schools to reopen and send their children back to classes until “it is safe,” reported The Star today.

And if schools are to reopen, many would also want the authorities to implement “staggered classes”.

Chairman of Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim told the daily that many parents “prefer to keep young children at home but might allow those in secondary schools to return”.

“Besides the safety factor, parents will also consider other factors, such as the availability of caregivers, the feeling of losing out if children are not physically in school and the effectiveness of remote learning in the new normal, ” she explained.

Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said Form Five and Six students are mature enough to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) “but not the younger ones”.

Meanwhile, Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Megah Parent-Teacher Association chairman Rodney Teoh said he would “still allow” his children to return to school.

“Nobody knows when the pandemic will end and the government has opened up so many sectors. As long as there’s an SOP from the ministry, I believe the teachers can handle it.

“I will make sure my children are properly equipped with hand sanitisers, face masks and practise social distancing with other schoolmates,” he told the English daily.

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