Government Allows Yellow Zone To Learn Face To Face

Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim (Photo: Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - The government will evaluate the joint ministerial decree (SKB) regarding face-to-face learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, not only green zones, areas with yellow zones can also conduct face-to-face schools.

The green zone is a regency / city area that has never had a confirmed case of COVID-19 or no new cases for 14 days. Meanwhile, the yellow zone is an area with a low risk of transmission of COVID-19.

"We will revise the SKB for the expansion of face-to-face learning for the yellow zone by following strict health protocols," said Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim in a virtual press conference on the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture's Youtube, Friday, August 7.

Even so, Nadiem admitted that the government did not insist that all schools in the yellow and green zones must carry out face-to-face learning.

"We will revise the SKB to allow, not force face-to-face learning," he said.

The stages of the decision to open schools to carry out face-to-face learning began with the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, which mapped areas with risk zones for COVID-19 transmission.

Then, the regional government (pemda) of district / city offices of the Ministry of Religion was given the will whether or not they wanted to give permission to reopen schools and madrasas.

"Although it is permissible, if the regional government and the head of the education office feel that they are not ready, they do not have to start face-to-face learning," said Nadiem.

Then, if the local government states readiness to carry out face-to-face learning, they will ask each school principal and school committee whether it is ready to open the school or not.

"One more level, even if the school is ready and starting face-to-face learning, but if there are parents of students who do not allow their children to go to school because they are still uncomfortable with the risk of COVID-19, that is the prerogative of the parents," he said.

As is known, as of August 3, there are 43 percent of districts / cities with yellow and green zone status. Meanwhile, the remaining 57 percent has the status of the orange zone or medium risk and the red zone or high risk.

All schools in the orange and red zones are still prohibited from conducting face-to-face learning. Schools in the zone continue to learn from home.

In the green and yellow zones, the fastest face-to-face learning start time for SMA, SMK, MA, MAK, SMP, and MTs is July 2020. Then, the fastest school opening time for SD, MI, and SLB is in August. Meanwhile, PAUD is opened the earliest in October.