Implementation of face-to-face learning or offline learning should prioritize the safety of teachers and students, policy analyst from the Directorate of Primary School at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) Kurniawan stated.
“Kemendikbudristek supports the implementation of face-to-face learning, with 100-percent capacity, by still prioritizing safety, health, and learning achievements,” Kurniawan noted in a written statement here on Wednesday.
The policy analyst noted that based on evaluation for the implementation of face-to-face learning, from a total of 55 million students aged six and above, around 88 percent, or 48.32 million, had received the first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 71 percent, or 39.06 million, have received the second dose.
“We really hope that educators and education staff would remain healthy, one of which is by ensuring that they have been vaccinated,” he stated.
Provisions on the implementation of face-to-face learning at 100-percent capacity refer to the Decree of Four Ministers that included the requirement to reach 80-percent second-dose vaccination coverage among teachers and education staff. The other requirement was 50-percent second-dose vaccination coverage among older adults.
The decree also calls for the continuity of vaccinations among students and limits the learning duration to six hours per day.
Kurniawan emphasized that collaboration between teachers and students’ parents was crucial to provide an understanding of COVID-19 health protocol compliance to students, especially regarding mask wearing, so that everyone would stay safe from the virus.
According to Kurniawan, the implementation of 100-percent face-to-face learning was a solution to restore Indonesian education due to learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online learning has led to a decrease in learning achievements due to gaps in access and quality.
“Learning loss has occurred, and in the context of learning recovery, the Minister of Education has also implemented the Merdeka (Independent) Curriculum,” he stated.
Source: Antara News