Education News In Garut, Early Childhood To Junior High School Today Face-to-face School Simulation

The atmosphere of implementing a limited face-to-face teaching and learning activity simulation at SMP Negeri 1 Garut Regency, West Java / Antara

JAKARTA - The Government of Garut Regency carries out a limited face-to-face simulation of teaching and learning activities. This activity implements health protocols to prevent transmission of COVID-19 starting from early childhood education (PAUD) to junior high school (SMP) levels.

Garut Regent Rudy Gunawan together with officials from the Garut Education Office reviewed the implementation of face-to-face teaching and learning simulations at SMP Negeri 1 Garut to ensure the availability of supporting facilities and infrastructure for implementing health protocols during teaching and learning activities in schools.

"I, as the Regent of Garut and the COVID-19 Task Force for Garut Regency, gave permission to carry out school simulations for elementary school children, junior high school children, kindergarten children, and also a little PAUD," Rudy said as quoted by Antara, Monday, April 19.

He said face-to-face teaching and learning activities were carried out in schools that already had supporting facilities and infrastructure for implementing health protocols such as hand washing stations and body temperature checking devices and preparing study room arrangements.

"The capacity is 30 percent to 50 percent and this is a simulation of the Come to School Movement, we prioritize health protocols," said the Regent.

In the face-to-face teaching and learning simulation at SMP Negeri 1 Garut, according to him, the teachers and students have implemented health protocols, including wearing masks. The school has also prepared officers to check the body temperature of teachers and students who are about to enter school and provides a place to wash their hands.

"We make sure they wear masks and at school a place to wash their hands is prepared, there is social distancing and of course we reduce the hours (of studying) to three hours," he said.

Principal of SMP Negeri 1 Garut, Aceng Mulyana, explained that face-to-face teaching and learning activities were carried out in several sessions in 16 sterilized classrooms.

On the first day of the simulation, he continued, the face-to-face teaching and learning activities were followed by grade VII and grade VIII students.

"Class IX has almost finished the learning material so only class VII and class VIII, the number of students who attended was almost 160 out of 800 students," he said.

He hopes that the simulation of implementing health protocols in teaching and learning activities in schools can be the beginning of adaptation to new habits for students and teachers.

"Hopefully this will become a new habit, both for us and for our students, and this is an important momentum on how to implement real health protocols," he said.