Government Asked Not To Just Open Schools In The Green Zone

JAKARTA - The government is asked to postpone the implementation of teaching and learning activities in green zones or areas that are considered safe from the spread of COVID-19. This is because the opening of this school is considered too hasty.

Epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University Dicky Budiman assessed that the opening of schools should be postponed until the end of 2020. This is because the peak of the spread of COVID-19 has not yet occurred and virus control has not been maximized until now.

"I urge the central and regional governments to really involve the relevant experts before deciding that a school is opened even though it is in the green zone," Dicky told VOI, Wednesday, June 17.

He considered, the COVID-19 zoning system in an area could not be relied on in terms of data. Because, most of the reported corona virus testing data is still not realtime. Apart from that, Indonesia also still has problems with the number of testing coverage and the speed of the results.

"Many areas have postponed the results of the sample due to limited laboratory capacity, even thousands," he said.

Opening a school, said Dicky, is not as simple as opening a shopping center. This is because this policy has an impact on children and teachers and school staff who can become vulnerable groups because they have comorbid diseases.

He assessed that schools are an environment that must get special attention in the midst of this COVID-19 situation.

"Apart from the presence of groups of children and adults there, also because this interaction occurs in a closed room. In theory and in fact, in COVID-19, indoor conditions are far more risky than outdoor," he explained.

Moreover, from the COVID-19 case study in children, it was found that the potential for infection was not only the lungs but the kidneys. Previously, a study also found a manifestation of the multisystem inflamatory syndrome.

Not only a matter of physical health, the mental health of students also became vulnerable during the early days of COVID-19. This is because the students are not ready to return to school after being in a situation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).

"That's why I say, opening a school in a pandemic situation is not as simple as opening a shopping mall," he said.

The Federation of Indonesian Teachers' Unions (FSGI) conducted a survey entitled 'School Readiness to Face New Norms in Learning' on June 6-8.

The survey was followed by 1,656 respondents consisting of teachers, school principals, and school management in 34 provinces and 245 districts / cities. The result stated that as many as 55.1 percent of respondents considered the school was not ready to carry out teaching and learning activities.

"The majority of schools, as many as 55.1 percent, answered that the school had not met all the basic needs needed in facing the new normality. This means that the school is not ready to reopen," said Deputy Secretary General of FSGI Satriwan Halim in a webinar broadcast on YouTube, Tuesday, June 16. .

He explained that there are seven main components that must be prepared if schools in the green zone are to be opened. Such as the health protocol and outreach to parents and students.

In addition, the readiness of technical rules such as setting study hours, shift, teacher schedules, distribution of masks, rules in the midst of new norms, and regulation of the canteen must be done.

Furthermore, the readiness of teachers and the readiness of school facilities and infrastructure that support the new normality need to be prepared. The last is regarding school management and budget readiness.

On the other hand, the serious obstacles faced by schools when re-learning activities are carried out are preparing facilities and infrastructure to support the new normal, the existence of health protocols, budget readiness, socialization, coordination with all stakeholders, technical regulations, limited preparation time, management readiness, and readiness. teacher.

The survey results also stated that as many as 20.8 percent of respondents wanted schools to reopen during the new teaching, in July. Furthermore, 18.2 percent kb of school scores should be opened at the beginning of the even semester or in January 2021.

"The majority of schools, as many as 55.1 percent of respondents agreed to answer to open a school at any time if conditions have returned to normal," he said.

Based on the survey results, FSGI recommended that the extension of home learning activities should be carried out in all zones.

"The Ministerial Decree 4 provides an opportunity for students totaling six percent of them to return to school. But this raises new problems in technical matters such as parental consent, coordination with local governments, protocol socialization, a green zone surrounded by a red zone, and public transportation," Satriwan explained.

This extension, said Satriwan, must be followed by improvements in the quality and services of teachers and students. You do this by opening the network and making the internet free for students and teachers in special areas.

Local government, he continued, must build cooperation with community radio and local TV channels to assist teaching and learning activities. In addition, there should be incentives for visiting teachers, especially honorary teachers.

FSGI also touched on the need for an emergency curriculum at midnight. This must be prepared, because it is very useful now, as well as in the future when this kind of situation occurs again.

"Loosening the adaptive curriculum is a necessity. Of course it is in the form of a Permendikbud, not just a circular letter from the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Culture or the Minister of Education and Culture," he said.

Previously, the government made provisions for learning activities for students in the 2020-2021 school year according to the COVID-19 spread zone in each region, starting from the red, orange, yellow and green zones.

Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim said the government would only carry out teaching and learning activities in schools in 85 regional cities at the start of the new academic year starting July 13.

"We allow 6 percent of regions to apply face-to-face lessons but with health protocols or 85 cities. The basic principle is that we use relaxation in opening schools in a conservative way. This means that this is the most difficult way to open schools so that security can be ensured," said Nadiem at the conference. virtual press, Monday, June 15th.

Nadiem did not specify which areas were allowed to reopen schools. What is clear is that 85 cities are green zones, or areas that have no COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, 429 other cities or 94 percent of schools in Indonesia are still required to do online learning activities from home. This area is included in the red, orange, and yellow zone.

"For areas in the yellow, orange, red zones, face-to-face learning is prohibited in educational units because they still have a risk of spreading (corona virus)," said Nadiem.

Apart from the zoning provisions that can apply learning in schools, there are other requirements that must be met. Schools can be opened if the local government or the Regional Office / Ministry of Religious Affairs gives permission. Then, the educational unit has fulfilled all the checklists and is ready to undertake face-to-face learning.

The last thing that must be done in the implementation of green zone learning during the transition period is that educational institutions must ask parents for permission to approve their children doing learning activities at school.