Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - Limited and gradual face-to-face learning activities will commence at Surabaya schools on Monday (Sept 6) next week following improvement in the level of activities restriction enforcement (PPKM) to level 3, Surabaya Mayor Edi Cahyadi stated.
"The Home Affairs Ministry has allowed schools to reopen with a maximum capacity of 50 percent, but I will adjust the implementation in Surabaya and proceed with a maximum 25-percent capacity first. The face-to-face learning system will be implemented from next Monday," Cahyadi informed.
He remarked that the decision to reopen schools at 25 percent of the maximum capacity aimed to observe the application of health protocols at pilot schools before proceeding to allow more schools to reopen.
"We remain careful regarding the reopening of schools. If the implementation of health protocols at schools is consistent, then the authority will allow schools to increase its capacity cap to 30 percent and later to 50 percent," he stated.
Before allowing schools to reopen, he ordered schools to undergo an assessment process to examine their preparedness to conduct safe face-to-face learning. He reminded school principals to monitor the enforcement of health protocols at their schools once they reopened.
Cahyadi also emphasized the importance of parental consent to allow their children to attend school, while urging academic institutions to prepare a hybrid teaching system to accommodate students attending classes from home if their parents are not allowing their children to attend school.
"Parental consent is essential to allow students to attend their classes in school. I urge school principals to enquire from parents whether to allow their child to attend the school," Cahyadi stated.
The mayor reminded school administrators to enforce health protocols at their schools, as lax enforcement may risk schools from becoming a COVID-19 cluster and leave the authority with no choice but to close them.
"I will order the school to close if it failed to enforce health protocols during the implementation of the face-to-face learning system, as schools in Surabaya are my responsibility," he warned.
Earlier, Mayor Cahyadi had convened a meeting on Monday (Aug 30) with primary and secondary school principals across Surabaya to discuss the planned implementation of face-to-face learning next week. (*)
