School resumption back on track for senior students

Secondary schools will resume in May in a two- phased approach, the director of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), Lou Pak Sang, announced yesterday during the daily press conference organized by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center.
According to the DSEJ plan, senior secondary school students will resume on May 4, while junior secondary school students will return to school on May 11.
The arrangement for other education levels is still pending, but the bureau director hinted that if all goes well, these levels will follow later with their own resumption dates. Online lessons will continue for lower level classes for the time being.
The first two phases of school resumption concern about 27,000 students.
However, the DSEJ director noted that there would be greater flexibility for the resumption of kindergarten levels and students with special education needs. He indicated the possibility of a lack of resumption for these levels.
If new Covid-19 cases are confirmed between now and the announced school resumption dates, the DSEJ will consult the Health Bureau (SSM) about whether school resumption should be postponed again. Likewise, should the number of Covid-19 cases rise after the resumption, further school suspension will be considered following consultation with the SSM.
Lou reminded students and teachers to remain in Macau for the next two weeks, not only to prepare for school resumption, but also to lower the risk of infection from outside sources.
Cross-border students, meanwhile, are reminded to undergo whatever measures necessary to satisfy border-crossing requirements set forth by the governments in Guangdong and Macau, if they decide to return to school in Macau. They are also advised to return to Macau and stay at a relative’s place if possible.
As earlier stated, parents have the discretion to apply for school absence on behalf of their children should they have concerns about the school resumption. Schools are urged to consider such absences with flexibility.
Schools are also advised by the authority to make arrangements for younger students, should parents need to work and face difficulties in taking care of them during the day. When junior secondary schools resume, schools will take applications from these parents and provide daycare assistance at schools.
Should time permit, schools can conduct student assessments blending materials from before and after the school suspension. It should, however, be conducted in a relaxed fashion, according to the government. Other “conclusive assessment” will not be appropriate, the DSEJ has stated.
The bureau has also recommended no student should be held back this school year. Lou reiterated that position yesterday.
As the bureau has previously stated, schools have the discretion to extend their teaching to make up for lost time – although this is not recommended by the DSEJ – but teaching must end on or before July 31.
Guidelines on school resumption have been uploaded to the DSEJ’s website and distributed to schools. They include health and safety measures, student assessments, promotion and detainment, as well as curriculum arrangements.
The Covid-19 outbreak in the city has resulted in the swift development of online teaching. Following advice from the DSEJ, many schools, teachers and students have taken their first steps in online lectures.
When asked about the reliability of online teaching platforms, the DSEJ head said that schools have the freedom to choose whichever one to use. Lou disclosed that the bureau is working on Macau’s own online teaching platform. He hopes that it will be available in September this year, when the new school year commences.
The bureau is striving to design the platform especially for use by local schools. Lou hinted that this step is a response to the “possible normality of online teaching in the future.”
Lo Iek Long, medical director at the Conde São Januário Hospital, stands with the DSEJ’s decision on school resumption. He added that it is irrational to halt school indefinitely because the epidemic “seems to be a 5,000-kilometer run, a half-marathon or a full marathon,” implying that there is still some distance to go before it ends.