Sulu Sou says it’s unreasonable for schools to ask teachers to congregate

Lawmaker Sulu Sou and New Macau Association members speak to the press. Courtesy Sulu Sou

It is unreasonable for some schools to require their teaching staff to meet on-site to discuss students’ assignments during the extra holiday period mandated by the government, according to lawmaker Sulu Sou.

The lawmaker made the remark at a press conference held this afternoon after submitting a letter to the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ).

In general terms, Sou expressed his satisfaction with the prompt response by the education regulator in preventing the spread of the coronavirus in Macau. He commended the decision to postpone non-essential activities for schools, announced earlier this week.

The government has decided to postpone the closure of Lunar New Year holiday at the foundational education levels to February 10. A further postponement is also currently being considered, with a new date expected to be announced within the next few days.

Despite the holiday extension, the education regulator has told schools to “resume teaching”. It means that classes can be taught in other forms, such as through home assignments for students.

Since the instruction, Sou said he has received dozens of complaints from local teachers teaching in different districts, who claimed they were required or requested by their schools to come in for on-site meetings. Such meetings were called, according to the complainants, “to discuss homework arrangements.”

The lawmaker thinks these meetings are unreasonable and inappropriate because they have the potential to increase the risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus.

“Some schools have even tried to gather more than 100 teachers for meetings,” disclosed Sou.

The local tourism board had canceled several high-profile tourism events over the Chinese Lunar New Year period precisely to avoid large concentrations of people where the virus was more likely to be transmitted.

Sou also reported today that some teachers are required by their employers to return to campus on February 3, the initial school resumption date, to prepare for the new semester.

As he understands, the government’s decision to postpone school resumption is to avoid gathering of crowds that may facilitate the spread of the infection. Therefore, he thinks schools trying to gather teachers during this period should not be encouraged.

“It is hurting the interests and health conditions of these teachers,” the lawmaker said. “The DSEJ should issue a clear instruction to schools, which directs them not to require teachers to head in during the holiday extension.”

The DESJ said earlier today that it is encouraging schools to avoid holding such meetings during the postponement period.

Sou suggested the use of alternative, web-based channels to help achieve the goal of “teaching resumption”. Using such channels, teachers can work from home, lowering the risk of contagion.

A former teacher himself, Sou said, “I believe a lot of teachers have brought work back home [during this period]. I also believe currently nothing is more important than containing the spread of the disease.”

Meanwhile, all tertiary education institutions have decided to follow the decision of the DSEJ and have postponed their school resumption date until further notice. As for bodies offering continuing education, the education regulator has instructed them to postpone their class resumption to a later date, which has not been announced.