The case for opening schools up / why school openings should not be advised for now

By Wisley Lau  

(Screenshot from news.gov.hk website; Link:https://www.news.gov.hk/eng/2022/03/20220321/20220321_124717_054.html?type=ticker)

On March 21 2022, chief executive Carrie Lam announced that primary schools, kindergartens, and international schools will resume face-to-face learning starting April 19, the day immediately after the Easter holidays. With such fervor in classes, teachers, and students, it is time to analyse the pros and cons of planning your back-to-school season.

The Case For Opening Schools Up:

With COVID numbers on the decline, the reopening is definitely good news for the virus-battered city. Resuming schools not only benefits students, but also teachers and society as a whole.

The biggest beneficiaries are the students. Setting conveniences aside, online learning is daunting. First of all, students get worsened eyesight and vision due to staring at screens all day to attend online lessons and complete homework. 

Secondly, Zoom fatigue is common among students, including students studying in both MYP and DP courses. Staring at the screen for at least 70 to 80 minutes per lesson, many students have complained that they are exhausted and tired after lessons have ended. “Staring at the screen every day to attend lessons are so exhausting,” commented an anonymous student. “I finally got enough sleep in the morning, but when I get to recess, I am already napping in my bed.” 

Thirdly, communication with friends and classmates is difficult in circumstances where everyone is in lockdown or quarantine. The lack of communication with others due to isolation can cause mental health problems like anxiety and insomnia. With in-person lessons back in session, students will have fun and communicate with friends easier, while teachers can improve classes due to easy access and straightforward communication.

For teachers, online learning poses challenges too. Lesson plans have gone through massive changes to accommodate online learning needs. Students complain that the lack of communication during online classes makes it harder for them to understand concepts in class. “In class, I am able to talk with my classmates and friends when there is something the teacher did not do a great job explaining,” said the anonymous student. “With Zoom lessons online, it is more embarrassing for me to ask questions to my friends or teachers either in chat or by voice.” At the same time, teachers need to deal with awkward moments — such as complete silence during discussions or slow internet connection — which can cause misunderstandings or for students to miss out on important content. 

For society as a whole, school openings are a barometer to test the severity of COVID in the community. When students can go back into classrooms, it is safe to say that other activities and behaviors, like going back to the workplace, or indoor dining, can be permitted. When schools are open, so is Hong Kong. Proponents of school openings argue that opening up classrooms will push the city to start living with COVID instead of pursuing a zero-COVID strategy. Living with COVID is an appealing alternative to the general population when lockdowns and border limitations are eroding the city’s economy prowess and advantages.

In conclusion, with students being able to socialise and get better learning, teachers being able to work with a more familiar environment, and society proving itself normalcy can be possible, it is a great time to open up the schools and let the children in.

The case against opening schools up:

On the contrary, COVID cases are still in the thousands, and it remains unsafe to completely open schools. Many should remain reserved on this matter for the time being.

At first glance, the announcement's timing is an immediate red flag. In the past, COVID numbers were in the single digits when school reopenings were announced. But on the day of the announcement, there were 14086 cases and Hong Kong had the highest death toll in the world. Amid such a high number of cases and the unpredictability of the virus’ spread, calling the decision reckless is not an overstatement. According to a pundit from SCMP, the government’s handling of the crisis contained “a lack of humility and an overabundance of self-confidence.”  

Mixed messaging is also common from the cream of the crop, from the government claiming to impose a possible lockdown that caused widespread panic buying to the constant postponement of the mass COVID testing initiative. It is the signature of a city spinning around in circles over will-we-won’t-we pandemic measures, while promises made by the heads of government are not only empty words, but actively misleading to the public as well. 

As of writing this article, there is little detail of how the initiative would take place. All we know is that kindergartens, primary, and international schools will start in-person learning from April 19th. This policy is resemblant to our government officials’ unspoken strategy: talk first and think later. For example, on February 22, the Chief Executive announced an early summer holiday for all students, international schools included, from early March to the end of Easter. Yet, it took one week for the government to declare international schools can choose to opt-out of the government’s declaration. 

The main reason behind the summer holiday change was to clear spaces for vaccination sites and mass testing areas. Not only did the mass testing plan get scrapped, but students in local schools were also forced into an unwanted break that disrupted their summer plans in exchange for home lockdowns. According to an anonymous local school student, “I don’t want to have this break. Our school still had online learning before the announcement and I originally had plans this summer to participate in summer tutoring and special activities. Having the borrowed summer break now does not mean I can go out and play. Pretty much the opposite is going on.” 

The government is yet to give details on COVID restrictions in face to face learning except requiring schools to reach vaccination rates of 90%. Important guidelines, such as whether lesson times are the same as before or slashed to half-day, remain unclear. To paraphrase a denounced NOW TV reporter: “Who will bear the responsibility when things go south?” 

Children are more susceptible to Omicron than other variants;  combined with the incalculable amount of COVID community links still in Hong Kong, COVID upbreaks are an imminent disaster due to the close contacts of students. Reopening schools lays down the groundwork for a ticking viral time bomb waiting to be ignited. And if that happens, who should bear the most responsibility? The government? The EDB? The school? Discourse needs to hone in on the what-if senario: somebody contracting the virus, spreading it to children and the measures that will be taken to counteract the situation.

Discouraging in-person school at this time does not mean everyone should lock themselves at homes when minor cases of COVID are detected. But under these abnormal circumstances and without a clear plan or coherent strategy, all factors combine into a perfect storm against opening schools. 

Whether opening schools will be successful or not is one question, but the price society is willing to pay is another.