Union president Adam Prakash Abdullah said the surge of cases in Sarawak was alarming as it was affecting more schoolchildren and teachers.
“The number of teachers affected (being infected or quarantined) has gone up since the wide-scale reopening of schools last month,” he told FMT, although he could not provide the exact figure.
He said teachers now also have the additional responsibility of ensuring pupils adhere to Covid-19 precautions.
“They have extra duties now, like monitoring student arrivals and supervising them during recess. Teachers are also at risk of getting infected in school. It is a daunting task for them,” he said.
He said the education ministry should allow schools to revert to teaching and learning from home immediately, until the situation in Sarawak was under control.
He also urged school heads and district education offices not to conceal any information on the spread of Covid-19 in their respective schools as that will not help curb the situation.
Jonathan Chai, the president of the Association of the Boards of Management of Aided Chinese Primary Schools in Kuching, Samarahan and Serian, also agreed that the ministry had to review its one-size-fits-all policy as situations vary in different parts of the country.
He said the rules should allow for the immediate closure of a school once any student or teacher tests positive for Covid-19.
He was aware that online or home-based learning would not be as effective as face-to-face sessions. Working parents may also have problems juggling between work and looking after the children at home if schools were to close again.
However, the health and safety of students and teachers should be the paramount consideration.
“It’s high time the education ministry considers closing all schools in red zones in Sarawak, such as Kuching, Bintulu and Sibu, which have been registering high numbers of Covid-19 cases.”
On Tuesday, health minister Dr Adham Baba said the infectivity rate (Rt) in the state had increased to 1.1 yesterday compared to 1.08 the previous day, which was higher than the national figure of 1.06.
“Rt of 1.1 means 10 people can infect 11 people. The number of cases in Sarawak has also increased since January,” he said.
He said Sarawak has recorded 39 community clusters and 17 workplace clusters since January, adding that 21 of the community clusters stemmed from family gatherings, social events and birthday parties.
The state’s daily toll of Covid-19 cases has been among the highest in the nation in recent days.
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