TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An online petition asking President Joko Widodo and Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim to postpone the new school year, initiated by a person named Hana Handoko, has garnered thousands of signatures. Up to the point of writing this news on May 28, the petition had been signed by over 36,000 people.

“We can learn from other countries that it is not safe to reopen schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be well advised if the government, especially the minister of education, would be wise about the reopening of the new school year," Hana wrote in the petition.

In the petition, Hana cited a news article reporting that 70 kindergarten and elementary school students were exposed to COVID-19 transmission, after France reopened their schools on May 11. As a result, France promptly reinstated the lockdown status on May 18.

In addition, Hana also alluded to the 17 students and 4 teachers who were also exposed to COVID-19 transmission in a matter of two days after Finland reopened their schools.

“In light of these two cases, is the government certain to reopen the new school year as usual? Even with COVID-19 health protocols, can they still guarantee that children and teachers will not be exposed to COVID-19 at school?” she remarked.

Resultantly, as a mother, Hana has called for the government to postpone the new school year, or at the least, extend the online learning activities from home for the safety of children.

The Ministry of Education and Culture had previously decided that the new school year is set to start in July 2020, and end in June of the following year. Furthermore, Nadiem Makarim had also stated that the ministry had prepared various scenarios related to the start of the new school year.

According to Nadiem, his ministry's final decision on the implementation of the new school year will refer to appeals from the COVID-19 Task Force.

"Please wait, I cannot give any statement on the decision, because it is centralized on the Task Force. However, we certainly continue to coordinate with the Task Force," the minister said in a joint working meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission X, on Wednesday, May 20.

DEWI NURITA | Translator: DIO SUHENDA (Intern)