In-Person Learning Must be Held with Extra Cautious, Jokowi Tells

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo urges schools to carry out in-person classes with extra caution amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government has previously announced that in-person learning will resume in July but it will only allow a limited number of students and study time in classrooms.

“The president has instructed that in-person learning must be done with extra cautious by allowing a limited number of students,” Budi said after a limited cabinet meeting in the state palace on Monday, June 7.

Budi explained that the instruction came after the President was briefed about the increase in Covid-19 cases after the recent Idul Fitri holiday, especially with the high caseloads of Covid-19 infections in the Kudus regency, Central Java, and Bangkalan regency, East Java.

Also read: In-Class Learning May Resume in July, Jokowi Says

The President instructed that the in-person learning will only allow up to 25 percent of the total students and will be held no more than two days a week, according to Budi. Also, students could attend in-person learning for only two hours after they were granted permission by their parents.

“All teachers must be vaccinated before starting the face-to-face learning,” Budi said, quoting President Jokowi.

“Therefore, all regional heads to prioritize the elderly and teachers to be vaccinated as we have sent the vaccines already. Teachers must have been vaccinated before the upcoming limited face-to-face learning,” he said.

Previously, Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim said that the ministry’s surveys said the majority of students and parents wanted to go to school. “Almost 80 percent of the respondents want to attend in-person learning following the implementation of health protocols,” Nadiem said.

“It's parents’ prerogative whether they want to send their children to attend in-person learning or online learning," said Nadiem.

(Writer: Dian Erika Nugraheny | Editor: Icha Rastika)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/07/13551581/jokowi-minta-pembelajaran-tatap-muka-digelar-ekstra-hati-hati-ini-5?page=all#page2.