The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) called off all classes yesterday morning due to a rainstorm warning while classes in kindergartens and primary schools were cancelled for the day.
Despite some heavy showers during the morning, weather conditions had improved during the day. Some caregivers opted to take the classless students to play outside in public parks.
According to TDM reports, a warning was raised by the Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) at 06.39 a.m, advising that a rainstorm alarm would be issued later at 8 a.m. In SMG’s audio announcement, unstable weather with showers was announced. SMG cancelled the first alarm at 9:05 a.m, only to announce another at 9.20 a.m., which in turn was cancelled at 14:35.
DSEJ then instructed all grades of preschool, primary school and special education institutions to call off classes for the whole day, and middle schools to call off classes only in the morning.
Children play close to the Nam Van lake yesterday afternoon. The weather was cloudy but mild
However, some parents, who had already sent their children to school, considered this to have been unnecessary. “After 8 a.m, students are already in school. What effect could the rainstorm make?” questioned a father when interviewed by TDM. He noted that he managed to arrange to have his daughter supervised at a tutoring center, adding that the school where his son is studying even forbade students from entering the campus. He thought that the school would take care of the children, as the DSEJ instructions apparently indicate. According to the bureau’s instructions, as posted on its website and broadcast on TV during bad weather days, “schools should keep the campus open and arrange staff to take care of those kindergarten, primary school and special education students who have arrived at the school until the situation is safe for students to go home.”
The Times also knows of cases of kindergarten students who arrived with their caregivers to the schools in the morning unaware of the rainstorm warning (as it was not even raining) and were not even invited to enter the school. A security officer at the entrance of a local kindergarten was left to inform parents that the school day had been canceled and that the infants should return home.
TDM reported on the case of an older student who had already arrived to school and was surprised, saying: “Is it raining?” He explained that he had indeed heard rainstorm news on TV, but that he thought it concerned Hong Kong and hence he still went to school because he saw no rain in Macau.
DSEJ told the Times that it received no complaints regarding what many regard as a wrong call to cancel the school day.
According to the SMG website, the weather today is expected to be “fine apart from cloudy periods.”
‘DSEJ and SMG’s credibility in handling weather events has decreased’
Last month, the Times published a letter to the editor by reader Luke Lienau, that addressed the issue of DSEJ’s wrong calls when cancelling school due to bad weather.
Our reader alleged that “SMG doesn’t understand their own classification systems” and that DSEJ lacks using “reasonable caution when it comes to student safety in these situations.”
“There is an imperative need [for] accurate and confident predictions by the SMG and considered delays and suspensions by the DSEJ to ensure the safety of Macau students and families transporting their children to school,” Lienau said.
“Following the incident back in March in which a delay and suspension were issued inaccurately, despite the fact that it was likely necessary given the potentially dangerous conditions, DSEJ and SMG’s credibility in handling weather events has decreased,” he added.
It’s ridiculous!! DSEJ and SMG predictions are never correct. 3 weeks ago I had to take my child to school when it was pouring rain and really bad weather. No warning was issued. Yesterday with a few rain patches they cancelled the school for all day?? After 8 am the kids are already in school what harm can rain make really?? Either DSEJ gives a wrong call or cancel schools without even existing any SMG warning. Ridiculous!! Lived all my life in Macau, never seen a school get flooded or children being harmed because of the rain.
May I suggest that the DSEJ should base their call to suspend class depends on the present weather because meteorology can change anytime though it is forcasted but it may always change.
Actually it happened most of the time
Please check sources, as the timing is off, and from my viewpoint, this sits squarely on the SMG, and not with the DSEJ.
I got a text message from the school that DSEJ cancelled classes at 7:22am. I thought it was strange, as the weather was rather cloudy, but otherwise clear, so ai checled the DSEJ site.
I then got a notification at 8:00am from my SMG app that the rainstorm warning is up.
My point is, in my opinion, the DSEJ is in no position to predict weather, and must rely on the SMG to do so. The DSEJ reacted properly to the warning.
SMG had commented earlier that they were going to put up the warning by 8am, some hour and a half earlier. The call by SMG is definately questionable but not with out merit as the unstable airmass was approaching however it still highlights that they don’t understand their own levels of classification. I don’t think the conditions were enough to call for a rainstorm warning and further careful monitoring of the situation was necessary. The big problem there is decent prewarning system such as a “watch” prior to issueing a warning which honestly should be reserved for confirmed highly likely dangerous weather events. Naturally, prediction is very hard but when the conditions are right on top of you or are approaching in predictable patterns, then accurate and careful decision making concerning warnings should be implemented.
DSEJ on this matter really needs to communicate carefully with SMG and try to fix these problems. As the authority that gives direction to schools, students and parents, any misunderstanding or confusion on their end is perpetuated down the line.