They Miss Everything at School

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Parents of sixth graders collect learning outcome reports at SDN Malaka Jaya 05 Pagi state elementary school, East Jakarta, Thursday (4/6/2020), which will be used to register for junior high school. The Jakarta administration has set the 2020/2021 school year to begin on 13 July while awaiting the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the new school year officially began on 13 July, it does not necessarily mean the school is reopened. This must wait for the decision of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, based on the data and whether or not Jakarta is safe for activities again. Now, schools are busy accepting new students and preparing teaching materials and techniques, because it is likely that the distance learning method will continue to be applied in the new school year.

For nearly three months, students have studied at home. Now they miss learning face-to-face and playing with their classmates. However, amid the uncertainty of the end of the Covid-19 epidemic, it is feared that the reopening of schools will further spread the disease.

"I miss my friends, the blackboard," said Graciela Luminara, a Grade I student at Bunda Hati Kudus Elementary School in West Jakarta, when contacted via a video call application on Sunday (7/6/2020).

Read also: Prioritize Safety of Everyone at School

As seen on the screen, Graciela stood behind her brother, Mauricio Aurelius, the fourth grade student who sat behind a table. Even at home, Graciela wore a face shield.

As a result, they claim to have experienced difficulties in all classes.

Mauricio also claimed to miss learning at school. While studying at home, teachers tend to only provide learning materials and assignments. As a result, they claim to have experienced difficulties in all classes.

While studying at home, the siblings were not provided by their parents with smart phones, but portable computers. It is the computer that they have to face for hours, making them grow bored and miss the in-class learning so much.

In another area, Marten Ndun, 16, a Grade XII student of SMAN 8 Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, said he did not like learning from home so much. That method made his knowledge difficult to develop.

"If you study at school, you can ask questions directly or ask a friend if you don\'t understand. However, when learning at home, and parents don\'t understand the subject, I have to ask the teacher via WhatsApp message. However, sometimes I only get a reply a few days later," he said.

KOMPAS/DIANA FORTUNA UNTUK KOMPAS

Richelle Novena Sohilait, a grade II student at St. Fransiskus Xaverius Elementary School in Ambon, Maluku, took a class promotion test with a networked system on Wednesday (3/6/2020). The distance test was the result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, Marten continued, studying at school make students know each other\'s capabilities, including scores of exam or daily tests, to encourage them to study harder.

It is not only about learning and lessons, some students miss school also because

they miss the atmosphere and hope to see their friends. Even though they can communicate through gadgets, "If you meet in person, you can joke and tease each other directly," said Ancilla Chelsa Judea Dharma, Grade VII student at the Mater Dei Catholic Junior High School in South Tangerang, Banten.

Read also: New Normal for Education is Premature

Some students overcome their longing for school and friends by surfing the internet, playing games, or watching video on the application. Their parents are able to provide that facility and allow it. "It\'s quite entertaining," said Meilani Aurelia Mendekohy, a Grade IV student at an elementary school in Bogor, West Java.

Today, many people spend hours in front of the device.

Before the epidemic, campaigns to limit the use of mobile devices were carried out by various parties. Today, many people spend hours in front of the device.

Worries

Behind the longing for schooling, there are also worries, especially from parents. Sari, the mother of two – Grade III and Grade V students in Jakarta --, admitted that the school of her children is in the red zone. When going to school, meeting teachers and friends at school, the risk of virus exposure will increase. Especially if the health protocols, such as wearing masks, keeping a distance and washing hands, are not optimally enforced. However, enforcing these rules is a particular challenge for elementary school children whose understanding of Covid-19 has not yet been fully formed.

"It is natural for parents to not want their children to be exposed to Covid-19 at school," Sari said. Because of that, she was willing to have the hassle of taking care of her two children to take distance learning even though she had to be diligent in helping with their assignments. However, she also hopes that the school does not give too many assignments so that students and parents are not stressful.

The opening of schools in the new academic year, which began on 13 July 2020, was indeed dilemmatic. All have logical considerations and want safety, physical health and mental health of the children, teacher and family to be maintained.

Child and family psychologist at the University of Indonesia Integrated Psychology Clinic, Anna Surti Ariani, said from five aspects of child development, namely physical, cognitive, language, emotional and social, the cognitive and language aspects have been relatively undisturbed as a result of online learning, so long as the parents can help teach their children and prevent stress in their child.

The physical aspects have been disturbed because movement has been limited.

Especially for children who live in small homes or children who are active. "Less movement for children, as well as adults, is prone to trigger depression," she said.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

An officer from the City of Tangerang office of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) disinfects SDN 1 Tangerang state elementary school, Banten, Wednesday (3/6/2020). Spraying is carried out to sterilize the school environment of Covid-19. Many schools are not ready to reopen face-to-face teaching and learning activities physically. Teachers are still having difficulty implementing the Covid-19 preventive health protocol. Meanwhile, many parents are hesitant to allow their children to go back to school in the middle of the pandemic.

The social aspect will also not be optimal because learning at home makes children\'s meetings with others limited. However, parents can still play a role so that the growth and development of children continues albeit limited.

If the government insists on reopening schools in the new academic year, the government can consider requiring schools to limit the number of employees and students coming to the schools through modified or rotating schedule. Schools can also tell students to come few times a month not everyday.

Another alternative is to combine at school and at home learning activity, with studying at school for lessons that require face-to-face meetings, such as sciences, and studying at home for other lessons. However, this can be done as long as the health protocol is obeyed, even though it appears that many schools have problems to prepare hand-washing soap and clean water.

The time available can be used to prepare everything about the pattern of education in the future, both learning methods, curriculum, assessment and learning innovation.

The situation encourages a number of education observers to urge the government to postpone the beginning of the new school year to January 2021. The time available can be used to prepare everything about the pattern of education in the future, both learning methods, curriculum, assessment and learning innovation.

"Pandemics can be used to improve the education system to be contextual and flexible," said educational psychologist and member of the Presidium of the Alternative Education Network, Karina Adistiana. This alternative education method can be enforced amid the epidemic whose ending is still unclear. It should not sacrifice children\'s rights. (MED/TAN/KOR/MZW)