With the 2020/21 academic year set to commence on July 13, the Education and Culture Ministry has approved plans to allow face-to-face learning — though the number of schools that will open will be very limited to begin with.
Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim yesterday said that only schools located in COVID-19 green zones — areas with low transmissions of the disease — can reopen in the new academic year. According to the ministry, that amounts to 6 percent of all schools in Indonesia. Students in the remaining 94 percent of schools will be expected to continue online learning despite its shortcomings.
“The quality of learning is sacrificed when learning from home, and there are those who have difficulties [going online],” Nadiem said.
“Right now the Education and Culture Ministry is prioritizing the health and safety of students.”
Schools in green zones are only allowed to reopen with the approval of their respective regional governments. Schools will also be required to carry out stringent health precautions, such as regular temperature screenings for students and staff, making face masks mandatory, and ensuring the availability of hand wash stations and hand sanitizers.
Furthermore, parents have the right to continue home learning for their children if they’re concerned about COVID-19 transmissions at school.
The reopening of schools will also be carried out in phases according to education levels. High schools and junior high schools will be allowed to reopen immediately in the new academic year, but elementary schools can only reopen two months after the area they’re located in is declared a green zone, while kindergartens and preschools will have to wait five months after the declaration.
In the first two months of schooling, the number of students per classroom will be limited to 18, which may necessitate an alternating roster system for students. Kindergartens and preschools will only be allowed five students to a classroom.
As of June 7, the government declared 92 regencies and cities green zones. Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Papua currently lead the way, while there’s no green zone yet in Java. You can check Jakarta’s COVID-19 zones by district here.
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