The Indonesian Government has ordered schools that have completed the COVID-19 vaccination of teachers, administrators and other staff to immediately resume in-person learning.
It says the aim is to have all schools in the country open for the new academic year in July.
This has raised concerns among educators who say that sluggish vaccination rates can’t hope to meet this deadline, while many schools are struggling to provide the necessary infrastructure to implement health protocols.
Minister for Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim said resuming in-person classes as soon as possible was necessary as prolonged school closure could potentially cause lasting harm to a generation of children.
“A year of school closure is already too long,” Mr Nadiem said.
“We need to take immediate action to prevent permanent negative impacts on students that may lead to a generation that’s left behind,” he said.
Mr Nadiem said that since schools moved online in March last year due to the pandemic, there had been a worrying increase of children dropping out of schools and a surge in subject failures, domestic abuse and mental health problems among students.
“The trend is more prevalent among lower-income families and those living in remote regions who are struggling to have access to online learning due to the digital divide,” the Minster said.
“I am confident schools can safely reopen under strict health rules, with students being required to take turns attending in-person and virtual classes during the initial stage of school reopening,” he said.
Mr Nadiem said the number of students in each class would be limited to 18, or roughly 50 per cent of the previous capacity, and all students would be required to maintain physical distancing and wear masks.
Jakarta, 5 April 2021
