JAKARTA - The government requires schools and other education units to implement face-to-face learning (PTM) in July on condition that education personnel have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim believes the opening of schools will not have a significant impact on the increase in COVID-19 cases among students. This is because the parties who are vulnerable to contracting the corona virus are adult people such as education personnel.
"Research has proven that educators and education personnel, because of their age, have the highest vulnerability to COVID-19, not students.
"This age group of 3 to 18 years has a very low mortality rate, compared to other age groups," Nadiem told a virtual press conference, Tuesday, March 30.
Nadiem explained, the level of COVID-19 infection in children under 18 years of age is mostly mild symptoms. Moreover, according to data, children have a much lower susceptibility to COVID-19 infection than adults.
"Children who are getting smaller are also transmitting the infection, which is smaller than adults. This is data from UNICEF and WHO," said Nadiem.
Therefore, he continued, as many as 85 percent of countries in East Asia and the Pacific had already conducted face-to-face learning. Then, international organizations such as the World Bank, WHO, and UNICEF agreed that closing schools could eliminate the living income of a generation.
"All of these are the reasons why in various countries with high cases of COVID, schools have started to carry out face-to-face learning," he said.
It is known, the government issued a Joint Decree (SKB) of four ministers regarding guidelines for implementing learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In content, the government requires educational institutions to carry out face-to-face learning (PTM) in the coming July.
However, said Nadiem, this PTM obligation is applied to schools or educational units where teachers and education personnel have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Then, the school also still has to serve online distance learning (PJJ) options.
When it was opened, Nadiem reminded all education units to keep implementing strict health protocols. First, classrooms must be limited to 50 percent of the existing capacity.
"Of all the conditions, the most important thing is social distancing of at least one and a half meters, keep the distance between benches and chairs, and a maximum of 18 students per class. Usually 36 students, now 50 percent is 18 people," explained Nadiem.
In addition, every member of the school and other educational units must also continue to wear masks, wash their hands frequently with soap, and keep their distance while there.
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