KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has urged the Education Ministry to conduct more engagement sessions to better understand the problems of teachers ahead of the reopening of schools from July 15.
NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan said this would allow for more fine-tuning and ensure that education proceeded on the right track.
"We hope the ministry will have more engagement with us to better understand the problems of the grassroots."
He said he hoped that teachers would be given training to ensure they did their best given that they would be working under a new normal.
"With the new normal, they must be retrained in the science of pedagogy, the use of online applications and new technology so that their teaching can be more effective."
On the reopening of schools in phases, with schools given the flexibility to choose from three models of operation that suit them best, Tan said the move would allow schools to comply with standard operating procedures.
On the readiness of teachers to welcome back students, he said teachers had been in school since June 26, when schools opened for exam-bound students.
"All of them have been conducting classes online. When the students return to school, they will continue doing what they have been doing."
He said teachers had never lagged in their duties. "The question now is, what about students who are slower and do not have devices to follow the lessons?
"This is easily overcome. Teachers can give enrichment exercises to students who have followed lessons and concentrate on those who are slow and left out.
"If the need arises, teachers can organise extra classes to help these students."
It was announced yesterday that schools will welcome the return of primary and secondary in phases, starting from July 15.
On June 24, more than 500,000 exams-bound students had returned to school.
Schools have been closed since the implementation of the Movement Control Order on March 18 to stop the spread of Covid-19.