KPAI Asks The Government To Be Careful In Opening Schools During The COVID-19 Pandemic

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) encourages the government to be careful about opening schools in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and not opening face-to-face learning when schools or regions have not been able to meet infrastructure and health protocol provisions.

"The health and safety of children must be the main and first consideration," said KPAI Commissioner for Education Retno Listyarti as quoted by Antara, Tuesday, July 28.

He advised the government to first improve distance learning (PJJ) and prepare infrastructure, as well as a new normal culture before opening schools and enabling face-to-face learning.

This encouragement, said Retno, was based on several examples of cases of school opening in the green zone which led to new clusters of COVID-19 transmission, one of which was in Pariaman, West Sumatra, and cases in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) which became the new cluster of COVID-19 transmission. .

On July 20, the Head of the Pariaman City Education Office, Kanderi, said there were teachers and school operators who were found to be positive for COVID-19 after a mass swab test was carried out on 1,500 teachers in Kota Pariaman. The teacher in question had conducted face-to-face learning since July 13. As is known, Pariaman is one of the four areas declared a green zone in West Sumatra.

Then, on June 30, the Head of the Education Section of the Tangerang City Ministry of Religion, Yana Karyana, said Retno, also said that 5 teachers at an Islamic boarding school (ponpes) in Karawaci, Tangerang City, were already being treated at a hospital. As a result, activities at the boarding school were temporarily suspended.

Furthermore, Retno said, on July 17, 35 students indicated positive COVID-19 from the Sempon Ponpes cluster in Jatisrono District, Wonogiri Regency, Central Java.

Previously, the number of residents of Ponpes Sempon was confirmed positive for 9 people, but on July 17, 2020 it increased by 26, bringing the total to 35 people.

On July 20, Ponorogo Regent Ipong Muchlissoni announced an additional 11 positive COVID-19 patients in Ponorogo. Eight of the 11 positive patients were students of the Darussalam Gontor 2 Modern Pondok in the Siman District, Ponorogo. So, there are 51 students of Pondok Gontor 2 who have tested positive for COVID-19 to date.

Learning from the new cases of COVID-19 that emerged due to the opening of schools in areas previously included in the green zone, to protect the safety and health of students while in school, KPAI encourages the government to act carefully and not start face-to-face learning. face when schools and regions have not been able to meet the infrastructure for the health protocol stipulated by the World Health Organization for school opening.

"For (safety) children, you should not try," said Retno.