Mayor Bobby Nasution Wants Schools To Open In July, Governor Edy Hasn't Allowed Yet

Gubsu Edy Rahmayadi (DOK Public Relations North Sumatra Provincial Government)

MEDAN - Medan Mayor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution is optimistic that face-to-face learning (PTM) can be implemented in Medan City. Bobby is optimistic that face-to-face learning can be done in July. This is in accordance with the direction of the Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim. "We are optimistic that in July (can be) face-to-face, we must. All districts / cities, I think, we are required to prepare face-to-face. We (Pemko Medan) are optimistic that we can do face-to-face (schools)," said Bobby Nasution was quoted by ERA.id, Thursday, June 3.

One of the ways to do this, said Bobby, was by vaccinating 11 thousand educators in the city of Medan out of a total of 20 thousand existing educators.

Currently, Bobby is focusing on pursuing the vaccination target for Medan City residents of 70 percent of the 1.8 million people who must be vaccinated. In addition to the general public, educators are the main target for face-to-face learning.

"There are already 11 thousand teachers who have received vaccines. For this mass vaccination, we have vaccinated more than 1,000 teachers," he said.

Meanwhile, North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi confirmed that he would not allow face-to-face schools to be opened in North Sumatra. Governor Edy reasoned that this was due to the pandemic situation and the number of COVID-19 cases in North Sumatra.

"I have not allowed face-to-face contact. Depending on the situation, but (earlier) we just answered, COVID-19 still haunts us all. It is impossible for our children to be sacrificed just because we demand face-to-face education," said Edy.

According to him, with all the limitations in learning, the North Sumatra Provincial Government has not made plans to open schools and face-to-face learning. This is to avoid the occurrence of school clusters and protect students from the transmission of COVID-19.

Face-to-face schools will be implemented and opened if the Covid-19 transmission rate in North Sumatra can be confirmed to have decreased.

"Ask God, will COVID-19 come down, if it comes down, tomorrow we will immediately open it (school)," he said.

Previously, the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Makarim pushed for schools to reopen. Even in a pandemic situation, he assessed that schools could implement face-to-face learning (PTM).

"Indonesia's future is very dependent on its human resources (HR), so there is no bargaining in education regardless of the situation we are currently facing," said Minister of Education and Technology Nadiem Makarim, quoted from a video on the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture's YouTube channel.