However, some schools have not implemented the (face-to-face) learning method.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Seventy-two percent schools in regions enforcing Level 1, 2, and 3 community activity restrictions (PPKM) have implemented limited face-to-face learning (PTM) so far, the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry has said.

"It is such a progress. Alhamdulillah (all praises be to God)," director of elementary schools at the ministry, Sri Wahyuningsih, said at an online discussion entitled ‘Children’s Adaptation for the Success of Face-to-Face Learning’, accessed from here on Tuesday.

"The implementation of limited PTM has improved quite well in several regions. However, some schools have not implemented the (face-to-face) learning method," she added.

The decision to implement face-to-face learning has been left to the discretion of regional governments, Wahyuningsih noted.

"In addition, it requires parents’ permission as the permit will greatly affect the smooth implementation of the learning," the director remarked.

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Meanwhile, she informed that schools in the areas enforcing Level 4 PPKM will continue to carry out long-distance learning.

PTM has only become mandatory for schools whose staff have been completely vaccinated, she added.

However, vaccination coverage among educators has not reached 100 percent yet, she said.

Hence, the ministry -- in collaboration with the military, police, and Health Ministry – will continue to prioritize vaccinations of teachers as well as students aged over 12 years, she added.

During Tuesday's discussion, Wahyuningsih also informed that the classroom capacity of senior high schools and senior high schools in Level 3 PPKM assessment areas has been limited to 50 percent.

Meanwhile, classroom capacity in schools in Level 1 and 2 PPKM assessment areas has been allowed to reach 100 percent, she said. In elementary schools, limited PTM has been allowed with students asked to maintain a distance of one meter and classroom capacity capped at 75 percent, she added.

“It is because the elementary schools and early childhood education students have not been able to be vaccinated yet," the director explained.

Hence, she called for support from all parties in implementing teaching and learning activities in the midst of the pandemic.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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