Jokowi's Instructions About Face-to-Face Learning: Student Capacity Is 25 Percent To Study Only 2 Hours

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) gave new directions regarding the implementation of face-to-face learning in schools and asked that this activity be carried out with extra caution. This was conveyed by the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin after holding a limited meeting.

"Mr. President has directed that face-to-face education, which will begin later, must be carried out with extreme caution," Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, June 7.

He said that face-to-face learning activities will be carried out on a limited basis. Budi said that a maximum of 25 percent of students may attend school and teaching and learning activities at school cannot be more than two days a week.

"So a week can only be two days a maximum of face-to-face learning", he said.

Not only that, learning activities in schools at this school should not be carried out for a long time. "A maximum of two hours a day", he said.

"So, it is certain that he (President Jokowi, ed) education is carried out with a limited face-to-face method", added the former Deputy Minister of SOEs.

Budi also said that the attendance of children at school for face-to-face learning activities could only be determined by the parents or guardians of the students.

Furthermore, he also revealed that President Jokowi requested that all teachers be vaccinated against COVID-19 before face-to-face learning activities begin. So, he asked regional heads to prioritize educators in the process of administering vaccines.

"We also ask the regional head for help because we send the vaccine to the regional head prioritizing teachers and the elderly, especially these teachers must have been vaccinated before the limited face-to-face that we conveyed was carried out", he said.

Previously, the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, launched the Guide to Implementation of Learning for Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and Secondary Education (PAUDdikdasmen) during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nadiem admitted that there are still several schools that are afraid to hold limited PTM due to COVID-19. In fact, there are still schools in areas with green zones or without any cases of COVID-19 that have not opened their schools even though they have been allowed to.

"I can understand the concerns of mothers and fathers as teachers, educators, and parents in particular, regarding the health and safety of our children", said Nadiem at the virtual launching.

However, Nadiem asked all parties to be aware of the shortcomings of the online learning system. Where the students are not able to absorb the learning material in its entirety.

"We also need to remember the risks if we don't start limited PTM immediately. We also need to remember the long-term impact of these risks", said Nadiem.