School is a place where we learn and gain new knowledge, sure we all already know that. But in fact, it is more than that. School is also a place where we get to meet friends and have fun together on a daily basis. We spend about eight hours a day at school and it is safe to say that nearly half of a student's life is spent with people in school. So when the world is hit by the pandemic, the distance learning regulation should be taken to ensure people’s safety. This regulation, with all its challenges, has inevitably brought a feeling of anxiety to teachers, parents, and students themselves.

However, this whole online school is slowly coming to an end. The government has already taken preparations to reopen the school starting in July 2021. The return of face-to-face learning or offline schooling is planned to take place after the vaccination program for teachers is completed in June 2021. In addition, the Department of Education of Jakarta has implemented a limited school opening trial with a blended learning system since April 7, 2021. Limited offline school trials were conducted in 85 schools which consist of elementary schools to senior high schools. During the trial, distance learning will still be carried out considering the fact that offline schooling can only be attended by 50% of the total number of students. The face-to-face school implementation is also optional, meaning that parents can choose whether their children will study at school or continue to attend distance learning. Even though normal schooling is still carried out on a limited basis, this decision arguably brings a new sense of  relief and we need to welcome it with full responsibility, considering that the pandemic is still not over. In order to welcome the school reopening, let's dig deeper into the health protocols implementation in the school environment!

Health Protocols During The Trial Period

Back to school trial at SDN 03 Palmerah. Source : Berita Jakarta

The Jakarta Provincial Government has prepared several regulations before reopening the schools. These points are also applied during the trial period until April 29. Based on the Jakarta Provincial Government’s press release, the limited offline schooling trial must pay attention to the following regulations:

1. The offline school trial is held once a week for each grade;
2. The number of students is limited with a maximum of 50% of the capacity per class and a distance of 1.5 meters between students;
3. The duration of study is limited to 3-4 hours in a day;
4. Only essential materials delivered in offline learning;
5. Schools that are implementing the trials should have the teachers trained on the blended learning; 
6. The teachers should be already vaccinated before teaching.

Schools are required to coordinate with the nearest health facilities if there is a case of Covid-19. After that, the school is required to close for three days for disinfection and the Health Department will follow up the process with contact tracing. Schools will be allowed to reopen after the condition is deemed okay to resume. The government, through the Department of Education of Jakarta, has opened a complaint channel at the call center service 081287671339 or 081287671340 and the Education Office Posko Jl. Gatot Soebroto No. Kav. 40-41, Kuningan, South Jakarta. Citizens can participate in monitoring the offline schooling trial in order to make this program successful.

The Preparation Before Returning to School

Parents whose children will take part in the offline schooling trial can take advantage of JakCLMas an initial step in preparing to return to school. JakCLM is one of JAKI’s features which  allows its users to carry out a self-risk test for symptoms of Covid-19.  To use JakCLM, users must enter accurate personal data. However, as students have not gotten their own ID card yet, parents can help provide the Family Card number. After that, the children can be guided to answer the questions shown at JakCLM to assure that the final result is valid. If the test results are good, parents can be at more ease in sending off their children to attend school.

Hopefully you find this information useful, Smartcitizen! Don't forget to always practice health protocols to protect yourself and the people around you.