PETALING JAYA: Parents, teachers and staff should be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect children at school when face-to-face classes resume next week.
Experts say strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOP), regulated recess time and well-ventilated classrooms are also vital to lower risks of infection.
Universiti Malaya (UM) head of social and preventive medicine Dr Victor Hoe acknowledged that waiting for all children to be vaccinated before sending them back to school was not the answer.
He said the experience acquired from long exposure to the pandemic could serve as a lesson on how to ensure children can safely go back to school.
“Good ventilation is essential and the SOP should be strictly observed,” he said, adding that classrooms at public schools mostly have a lot of windows and with the use of ceiling fans, it should be easy to get good ventilation.
He also advised against having air-conditioning, particularly the split unit type that do not allow inflow of fresh air.
“As transmission is most rampant during mealtimes, measures should also be taken to prevent over-crowding at the school canteen.”
He said when parents are fully vaccinated, the risk of their children getting infected is significantly lowered, reducing the risk of children taking the virus to school.
While agreeing that the closure of schools over the past 20 months has disrupted education for many, Hoe said parents should not be forced to send their children to school.
“This is a dilemma not just for the children but for parents and educators as well.”
He added that a lot has been learned in the past year about what can and cannot be achieved through online learning.
“Use what we have learned to reboot the system. It cannot be business as usual. Some online lessons can be converted to videos on websites or into a gaming experience. Face-to-face learning should focus on subjects such as communication and motor skills that cannot be easily taught online,” he said.
Hoe’s colleague at UM Dr Sanjay Rampal expressed similar views.
Sanjay, who is professor of epidemiology and public health, said while parents and teachers should get vaccinated, it is not necessary to compel a child to do the same.
“After all, there has not been any reports of ‘super spreaders’ among schoolchildren.”
He also said that children suffer less severe symptoms if infected.
Sanjay said others who work within the school premises should also be fully vaccinated.
“Social distancing, face masks and practising hand hygiene are also essential. If a child is unwell, parents should not send him to school.”
Parent Action Group for Education president Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim stressed the need for SOP compliance, regardless of whether the children are vaccinated.
“With clear explanation from parents and teachers, I believe students will be able to take care of themselves at school.”
