NUTP: REVIEW SAFETY ASPECTS FOR TEACHERS TO PROTECT THEM AS THEY ARE THE FRONTLINERS

NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock said the call comes after 11 teachers from Terengganu were infected with Covid-19.

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has urged the Education Ministry to review safety aspects for teachers currently providing physical classes for students who will be sitting for their public examinations.

NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock said the call comes after 11 teachers from Terengganu were infected with Covid-19.

"This group of teachers were instructed to attend a face-to-face teaching and learning at home (PdPR) workshop organised by the district Education Office when the country is facing a Covid-19 pandemic.

"Are they not sensitive to the current pandemic development and were teachers given personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, overcoats and was the workshop held in accordance with set standard operating procedures?" he said in a statement.

Students who have been attending physical classes since Jan 20 are those sitting for the 2020 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia, Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia and Sijil Vokasional Malaysia examinations.

NUTP also called on the Education Ministry to prepare PPEs for teachers to guarantee their safety and health as they are frontliners in education.

Tan said some schools had forced teachers to teach from 7.30am to 4.30pm, which exceeded the official teaching hours.

"The official teaching session is from 7.30am to 2.30pm, (while) 2.30pm to 4.30pm is for extra classes which is outside the official teaching hours.

"No doubt, prolonged hours at school will weaken the students' spirits to prepare for SPM and STPM (and other examinations), the same goes for the teachers who have been previously working hard on preparing and teaching online classes," he said.

As such, Tan said NUTP would like to suggest synchronising the timetable of physical and online classes for all schools.

This, he said, would provide students and teachers their own space and time for leisure activities.

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