Countries all over the world have begun to reopen their schools, even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has maintained its pandemic status for Covid-19.
By
DEDY AFRIANTO
·6 minutes read
Kompas/Priyombodo
An officer from Tangerang city’s office of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) disinfects a classroom at SD 1 state elementary school in Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday (3/6/2020). The school was disinfected to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many schools are not ready to reopen face-to-face instruction.
Countries all over the world have begun to reopen their schools, even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has maintained its pandemic status for Covid-19. Strict policies are being imposed to try and ensure the health and safety of students and teachers.
Several countries in Asia, Europe and Africa have reopened their schools and resumed person-to-person learning activities. Certain countries have taken the decision when local Covid-19 transmission started showing a flattening curve.
Data as of 9 June 2020 from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) shows that the reopening of schools has affected 94.6 million students. The number of students attending school for classroom-based learning activities has continued to increase from 30.7 million students on 18 May, in line with the easing of local or national quarantine policies.
In Asia, schools have reopened in Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. The move was taken after the countries imposed strict policies on the movement of people.
Similar policies have also been pursued in European countries such as France, Belarus, Austria, Croatia and Switzerland. The African countries of Niger and Burundi have also taken a similar step to reopen their schools.
Australia and New Zealand have also reopened their schools. Meanwhile, schools in almost all countries of the Americas remain closed, at both the national and regional levels. This is because many countries on the American continents are still reporting hundreds of new cases every day.
Students wear masks while maintaining distance as they attend the first day of school following closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Monday (25/5/2020).
Reopening policies
Those countries that have reopened their schools are imposing special policies to ensure the health and safety of students and teachers. These policies were implemented after the careful consideration of healthcare authorities.
In France, for instance, schools were reopened on 11 May once it had recorded a continuous decline in new daily cases over a certain period of time. Covid-19 tracking data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the number of new daily cases in France had been declining since early May.
The country reported more than 4,000 new cases per day in March and April. In May, however, the number of new daily cases dipped into the hundreds. The French government then took the step to reopen its schools.
However, this was done gradually. At first, only junior and senior high schools were allowed to reopen in the least affected areas. The gradual reopening of schools indicates that France is being extra careful in resuming person-to-person learning activities during the pandemic.
Classrooms are restricted to 15 students at a time. Meanwhile, a kindergarten classroom may hold only 10 students. This measure is intended to provide more space between students in line with the physical distancing rule.
Despite the reopening of primary and secondary schools, on-site lectures and other activities have yet to resume at universities and colleges. University students continue to learn remotely, as many tertiary institutions had been offering online study programs even before the Covid-19 pandemic emerged.
A number of students of SMK Negeri 2 Yogyakarta came to the school to borrow tablets for online learning, in Yogyakarta, Monday (27/4/2020).
In Asia, classroom learning has resumed in Japan. Schools and parents are working together to ensure students’ health and safety before they arrive at school. Just before children leave their homes in the morning, their parents check their body temperature to make sure that they are healthy.
At school, students are required to wear masks and sit at a distance of 1 to 2 meters. Activities that involve groups of students, like recreation and classroom discussions are also restricted.
Classes that have a higher risk of infection, such as vocal music classes, have not yet resumed. Meanwhile, sports and physical education classes have resumed with minimum physical contact.
Japan is among those countries that have been most successful in reducing the daily number of new Covid-19 cases. The Japanese epidemic peaked in April, after which the number of new daily cases began to dwindle. In early June, it recorded only a few dozen new cases per day, far below the hundreds of new daily cases it recorded in April.
New Zealand has also reopened its schools after its Covid-19 curve flattened gradually from April. On 9 June 2020, New Zealand had recorded a cumulative total of just 1,504 confirmed cases, far below the figure of other countries like Australia (7,267), Singapore (38,514) and Indonesia (33,076).
Among the policies New Zealand has implemented is the provision of hand soap, water and sufficient hand washing facilities for students at every school. Students who are ill may not come to school. Students who have developed a cough or flu-like symptoms are required to have their health checked. Schools that are linked to new Covid-19 cases will be closed again.
Compared to other countries, New Zealand has implemented a more lenient policy for reopening schools. This is closely related to the low number of new daily cases of less than 100 since early March.
Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan
A student of SD Al Azhar 15 Pamulang elementary school in South Tangerang, Banten, does an assignment during the online teaching and learning activities introduced by the government due to the Covid-19 outbreak on Tuesday (17/3/2020).
Special strategy
Reopening schools without careful consideration of the local conditions will only cause an explosion of new cases among students. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has published a framework for countries that want to reopen their schools, either partially or nationwide.
The first guideline is to implement the “staggered schooling” system in order to keep the number of students in classrooms to a minimum and to maintain safe physical distance.
Moving classes to outdoor spaces such as the schoolyard is also an option.
Other than maintaining safe physical distance, staggered schooling can also avoid boredom among students. However, schoolyards must be restricted to general visitors to ensure student health.
With 68 million students across academic levels, one wrong step could spell disaster for the whole country.
Other than classroom activities, breaks and mealtimes for students must also be monitored. UNICEF suggests staggering mealtimes to prevent crowding among students during breaks at school.
Specifically for Indonesia, the government must undertake a special study before deciding to reopen its schools. With 68 million students across academic levels, one wrong step could spell disaster for the whole country.
Health-wise, studies conducted at the regency or municipal level must refer to the local Covid-19 infection rate and how this can affect children. Moreover, 82 percent of Indonesia’s 514 regencies and cities have reported confirmed cases of Covid-19. Health studies are crucial for mapping safe zones, especially in the education sector.
Education is a vital sector that requires careful consideration before it is reopened. The experiences of other countries can be important points of consideration in making the right policies without neglecting the health and safety of students and teachers.
