Lyna Mohamad
Parents breathed a huge sigh of relief as they sent their children back to school for face-to-face learning in kindergarten schools yesterday.
The Bulletin spoke with several parents from different kindergarten schools for the first day of schooling yesterday.
Dayangku Siti Nurhalimaturradhiyah Hibriyah binti Pengiran Haji Hamzah, whose son goes to Sunshine School, was grateful for the smooth and well-organised process on the first day.
She thanked teachers who assisted parents on how to perform the COVID-19 antigen rapid test (ART).
Parent Isa bin Abas echoed the same sentiment, lauding the process fast and efficient.
“My son was excited when we told him about school. I guess the next generation will get to learn about our new norm,” he told the Bulletin.
From Seri Mulia Sarjana School (SMSS) kindergarten, a parent Hartini binti Haji Mohd Yassin expressed concern over sending her daughter back to school due to the absence of COVID-19 vaccination for young children.
However, she decided to put her trust in Allah the Almighty and allowed her back to school seeing how excited she was at the prospect.
“The experience of physical or face-to-face learning is different and sometimes, children are happier learning together with their friends and teachers in a physical classroom,” said Hartini.
Businessman Mohd Al-Johani sees the opening of the kindergarten physical classes as a good thing as he and his wife are able to go to work without worrying about their son being cooped up at home.
They believe physical classes are more practical than studying from home as it helps their son
stay focussed.
A teacher from SMSS Cecilia commended parents for sending their children back on school grounds for face-to-face learning, with the school reaching its maximum capacity of 30 per cent.
“We know how challenging the situation is, but in these very difficult times, we expect parents to cooperate with us when it comes to blended learning virtual and face-to-face,” she said.
“With regards to the combination of home based learning (HBL) and face-to-face classes, obviously it is expected that parents will have difficulties signing their children up for virtual classes while fulfilling work commitments.”
Cecilia added, “However, parents are cooperative and their worries are understandable.
“We have already reached the maximum limit, hence we are not able to accommodate other parents, who would like to send their children back to school. As much as we want to accommodate everyone, at this point, we have to wait for the next announcement and this is the best we can do, for now.”
The school follows standard operating procedures (SOPs) as only parents who are fully vaccinated are allowed to register for their children’s COVID-19 testing, which is required to enter classrooms.
“The safety procedures are our top priority. Our teachers are excited to accommodate the children but we still have to follow our health guidelines, especially physical distancing.
“At the moment, it is very difficult to control the children’s movement as they are not mature like secondary or primary school students,” the teacher said.