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Students without access to distance learning may return to school: Nadiem

Source
Jakarta Post - November 11, 2020

Jakarta – Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim has allowed some students in certain regions to go to school, antaranews.com reported.

During a visit to Rote Ndao regency in East Nusa Tenggara, Nadiem said that schools in green or yellow zones may conduct face-to-face teaching, but the decision would be made by the school committee, headmaster and the local agency.

Although students in green or yellow zones may return to school, Nadiem said, whether or not to take advantage of this option by sending their children to school was up to the parents.

Moreover, Nadiem said that the schools had to apply strict health and safety protocols.

With regard to vocational schools, the minister said practical subjects might be taught face-to-face.

Nadiem expressed his concerns for students who did not have digital devices or access to the internet, saying that he was afraid that these students' formal education development would be disrupted.

"I'm afraid that they will not be able to study anything and be left behind," he said.

With that in mind, he asked students to learn at school, especially those who live in green or yellow zones, such as Rote Ndao regency.

More than 60 million students across Indonesia have been forced to study from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While online learning seems to be the safest and most convenient way for students to continue their education during the pandemic, it also presents new obstacles, particularly with uneven access to technology and inadequate online teaching methods.

A survey launched in July by the SMERU Research Institute shows that, while teachers in major cities of Java had proper facilities to teach their students online, teachers in villages, especially outside Java, needed to visit their students' homes to give and collect homework because of a lack of access to the internet and digital devices.

"Students [without access to technology] are mostly state school students in villages, especially outside Java. They are prone to experiencing losses in education," Florischa Ayu Tresnatri, a researcher at SMERU, said in a public discussion.

State vocational school SMK 1 Rote Barat headmaster Julius Ndun said the school had conducted both online learning and offline classes during the pandemic. However, the latter was stopped after the school received an instruction from the local agency to return to distance learning in mid-October.

He also mentioned some of obstacles faced by students in the area, such as unequal access to digital devices and the internet.

"As a solution, students will come to school to pick up and submit their assignments," he said. (jes)

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/11/11/students-without-access-to-distance-learning-may-return-to-school-nadiem.htm

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