Govt plans to implement new normal in schools, FGSI responds it

Last updated on May 7th, 2021 at 06:46 am

The government is developing a protocol for implementing a new normal in the midst of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Among the protocols being prepared to include the worship, school, and transportation protocols.

The steps were taken by the central government that will implement the New Normal policy have received responses from a number of parties.

“FSGI believes that if the discourse on opening a school in mid-July 2020 must be carefully thought out, not in a hurry, and should pay attention to data related to handling Covid-19 in each region,” Deputy Secretary General of FSGI, Satriwan Salim, said

The Federation of Indonesian Teachers Unions (FSGI) requests that online or extended learning be extended until conditions improve. FSGI refers to the closure of schools because of the Covid-19 pandemic and plans to reopen it with the new normal protocol.

“FSGI believes that if the discourse on opening a school in mid-July 2020 must be carefully thought out, not in a hurry, and should pay attention to data related to handling Covid-19 in each region,” Deputy Secretary General of FSGI, Satriwan Salim, said in a statement in Jakarta, Thursday, May 28.

He added that opening a school requires coordination, communication, and data validity shown by the central government and regional governments. Because the safety and health of students and teachers is the main priority.

Even so, FSGI hopes that the extension of the Distance Learning method (PJJ) does not shift the new school year.

Reflecting on cases in several countries such as France, Finland, South Korea, and other countries, where teachers and students were victims of positive Covid-19 after the school reopened during the pandemic.

Therefore, he was worried that this might happen in Indonesia. “Do not let schools and madrassas become the newest cluster of the spread of Covid-19,” he said.

Another representative from the FSGI Secretary General, Fahriza Tanjung, demanded the government improve communication patterns, coordination, and data collection related to the spread of Covid-19. FSGI, she said, supported the statement of the Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim who was awaiting a decision from the Covid-19 Task Force regarding which areas were truly green zones and which were not.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (Kemen PPPA) suggested that the new normal protocol in schools be implemented, namely with the idea of ​​eliminating recess and reducing study hours to only 4 hours.

“But what we are recommending is eliminating breaks and shortening class hours, which are being discussed in 4 hours a day without breaks,” Deputy Assistant for Child Protection in Emergency Situations and Pornography of the PPPA Ciput Eka Purwianti in a webinar, Thursday, May 28.

It aims to prevent the density of children when entering and leaving school simultaneously.

Another recommendation is that the hours of entry and return between classes are different so that children do not flock when they arrive at the school gate and when they are going home.

Reflecting on the experience of Australia which has started to send their students to school, said Ciput, currently not all classes return to school immediately. “They were only two classes first for the trial, including preparing students, teachers, and educators with the new normal,” she said.