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The Jakarta Education Office postponed classroom learning for at least 1,509 schools for an entire week since Monday owing to a national computer-based assessment by the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry.

Head of the Public Relations Sub-Division of the Jakarta Education Office Taga Radja Gah stated that the delay was due to the assessment, scheduled from September 27 to September 30, 2021, so that the face-to-face learning was halted for all schools.

"The national computer-based assessment also brought student representatives to the school for assessment in the computer lab, so it was feared that there would be crowds at schools due to which the implementation of limited face-to-face learning was postponed until October 1, 2021," Gah stated in Jakarta on Monday.

Gah remarked that although the national computer-based assessment was conducted only for the high school level, the Education Office decided that the postponement policy would apply to kindergarten up to junior high schools as well.

"This is since despite the national computer-based assessment being for the high school level, the limited face-to-face learning policy covered early childhood education, elementary, junior high, high school, and vocational school. We are concerned that there will be crowding (that extends to the entire) school," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Head of the Jakarta Education Office Nahdiana remarked that the limited face-to-face learning policy would not be implemented this Monday since some 899 additional schools that would apply the policy were still in the assessment stage.

Nahdiana remarked that the assessment aimed to review if the health protocols implemented in schools were appropriate to conduct limited face-to-face learning.

"Hence, now, we are preparing them, so that they are ready and considered qualified to open schools with limited face-to-face learning," Nahdiana noted.

Should the hundreds of schools clear the verification, then the limited face-to-face learning phase II will be scheduled from October 4, 2021.

"It will be opened on (October) 4 yes, if I am not mistaken," she noted.

On the other hand, in the event of a violation of health protocols in the verification process, the said school will be banned from conducting limited face-to-face learning.

The Jakarta provincial government increased the quota for limited face-to-face learning participants by 899 schools.

The decision was stipulated in the Head of the Jakarta Education Office Decree Number 984 of 2021 on the determination of educational units that conduct the second phase of limited face-to-face learning during the community activities restriction period.

Nahdiana noted in the letter that it applied to as many as 899 schools comprising 809 public schools at the kindergarten to high school and vocational school levels as well as 90 madrasas from the RA to MA levels.

These additional 899 schools increase the number of schools holding limited face-to-face learning with the hybrid method to 1,509 schools. Some 610 schools were allowed to operate.

"Implementation of the limited face-to-face learning phase II during the community activities restriction period starts on September 27 with periodic evaluations," she added.  (Antaranews)