TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Education and Culture Ministry asserted it will not postpone the 2020/2021 school year. The government is determined to start the new academic year in the third week of July 2020 based on the education calendar.

“We will not postpone the new school year to January 2021,” said the Acting Head of the Early Childhood Education (PAUD), Hamid Muhammad, via a teleconference on Thursday, May 28.

Hamid opined the school year delay will create many side effects.

At present, he added, the graduation of senior high and junior high school students have been announced, and the announcement of elementary school students' graduation will follow.

The results of the state university entrance test (SNMPTN) have been published, too, while the joint entrance test to state universities (SBMPTN) will be revealed early July 2020.

“Students must certainly be idle if the school year is suspended,” Hamid remarked.

Previously, an online petition urging President Jokowi and Nadiem Makarim to suspend the new school year in a bid to prevent Covid-19 transmission, initiated by Hana Handoko on Change.org, has garnered 35,740 signs.

In the petition, Hana takes notes from France, Finland, and other nations that reported cases and transmission of Covid-19 among teachers and students soon after schools reopened.

DEWI NURITA