TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) asked the Jakarta Government to postpone the trials for reopening elementary (SD) and junior high schools (SMP), which is scheduled for Wednesday, April 7, 2021. KPAI member Jasra Putra suggested on-site learning by reopening schools to be tested in high schools and vocational schools first, with maximum capacity of 50 percent in each study group.

"This consideration is based on the context of our prudence towards the PTM policy," Jasra said in a text message, Monday, April 5.

He said that Jakarta has a very high number of students. The decision to hold trials for on-site schooling activities at the SD and SMP levels during the pandemic should be made with huge amounts of considerations. This is because the government will find it difficult to ensure that young students will follow health protocols strictly.

If the government insists on opening SD and SMP, the preparations must be done with great care. "Because currently the transmission rate of Covid-19 in Jakarta is still high," he said.

The government is also expected to minimize face-to-face learning activities to no more than twice a week, "with only difficult subjects that require on-site learning taught."

Jakarta deputy governor Ahmad Riza Patria said that the government is ready to test the first phase of schools reopening in a limited scope, just 96 schools in the capital. "From elementary to high school, we will try it in all areas of Jakarta," Riza said at the City Hall on Wednesday, March 31.

Through this trial, the Jakarta Government will study the possibilities of fully reopening schools for the 2021/2022 school year.

For the trial, the government will limit classroom hours and the capacity in each study group. They promise to ensure that the learning process adheres to health protocols. "We will start for two months. And later we will [evaluate the process]."

Read: Jakarta Can Reopen Schools If Covid-19 Positivity Rate Drops to 5%: Expert

IMAM HAMDI