Children’s safety and educational facilities is predominantly vital. Therefore, precautions are unavoidable to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 in school settings; however, care must also be taken to circumvent stigmatizing students and staff who may have been wide-open to the virus.
This is why Bedir International School has introduced new strict precautionary measures in preparation of the physical reopening of schools safe and sound.
The School’s Principal Mr. Dias Zhumadilov said that practicing safe distancing is one of the precautionary measures that will strictly be implemented by both Bedir learners and staff members.
“Social distancing, or physical distancing, is the practice of allowing enough space between individuals to reduce the spread of disease. But that might not be practical in some schools or with younger children”. He said.
Mr. Zhumadilov added that, following strict physical distancing can help to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in schools with perfect academic, social and excellence learning standards. It can also help to diminish the spreads of COVID-19 among children.
He added that, as part of reassuring social distancing during physical schooling, we have shaped one-way traffic in school entries, reduced the number of children on our school buses and also reshuffled our classroom sitting policies by spacing desks one meters apart.
Commenting on the matter, the school’s vice Principal Mr. Gokhan Ulker said, they have prepared very well on the safe reopening of school as they have considered daily screening for body temperature, and history of fever or feeling feverish on entry into the school buildings for all staff, students and visitors to identify individuals who are sick
“We have designated a well-ventilated area as a waiting room where sick learners or those who are not okay can get treated by the school nurse. If students feel ill or display signs of COVID-19, they will be waiting in this designated room to be picked up by their parents or guardians and afterwards, the room should be cleaned, disinfected and sanitized”. Said Gokhan.
According to Gokhan, the school will ensure a proper procedure for separating sick students and staff from those who are well without creating stigma. Afterward, a process for informing parents, and consulting with health care providers or health authorities will follow wherever possible.
Gokhan added that, the whole school premises has been placed with buckets full of water and hand sanitizers in each classroom, at entrances and exits, and near lunchrooms and toilets. Cleaning and disinfecting school buildings, classrooms and especially water and sanitation facilities at least once a day, predominantly surfaces that are touched by many people for instance, railings, lunch tables, sports tools, door and window handles, toys, teaching and learning aids just to mention a few.
In addition to that, we have cancelled school assemblies, sports games and other events that create crowded conditions, and in classes, we have created space for children’s desks to be at least one metre apart. He said.
One of the staff members Madam Natash Gaspar said she really appreciates the management for making sure that its staff members are safe from the spread of the virus.
“Teachers and other staff members are not allowed to come to work if they are not feeling okay and the school authorities enforces the wearing of face masks, regular hand washing with safe water and soap ,hand sanitizer or chlorine solution at a minimum, daily disinfection and cleaning of school surfaces”, she said.
Gaspar also added that, the school is promoting social distancing, a term that will enable them to slow down the spread of a highly contagious disease, including limiting large groups of people coming together.
“Our offices also are accommodating a small number of staff members. She said.
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BEDIR AGAINST COVID-19
BEDIR UNVEILS “EDUPAGE”
‘’When a crisis befalls, there has to always be a solution or an alternative”. Bedir seems to agree with this sentiment as it has ventured into a new learning system called Edupage.
Edupage is a computer application that allows the teacher to teach the students effectively online.
Commenting on the matter, Bedir International School ICT pundit, Zulian Mponda said Edupage is the online teaching system that more than hundred thousand schools in the world are using.
He said that, the system is very effective to both learners and teachers and Bedir International School has adopted this platform as it seems to be very good since it is too interactive and also resourceful as compared to other podiums of offering online lessons.
Concurring with Mponda, one of the teachers using the system, Francis Phiri said this system is a very good as it allows teachers to upload all the lessons for the whole week and assign each lesson on the time that they will teach according to the timetable.
He proceeded to say that, this time around they are better as compared to the time when they were offering online lessons through whatsap as they were in need of bundles for them to work and also it was hard for them to work effectively.
The School’s Vice Principal, Hadgie Sullayman said Edupage is a very good system.
“It has all the requirements that we can use as online system. Teachers are able to provide lessons and assessments. So far since we started everything is going on smoothly and if well implemented the online lessons can easily be assessed by students.” Sullayman Said.
Sullayman added that the only problem with the system is to master the whole system as it is new coupled with that it has a number of issues to be done effectively. For instance how to upload the lessons and how to interact with students and also the students accessing the materials.
“We are offering trainings to both our teachers and students in order to master the system and we are very sure that by the end of one to two weeks everyone will be able to use the system without challenges,” he added.
He was also very quick to say that the school is trying to work with Airtel company to reduce the internet charges or to negotiate for special bundles because the system’s consumption of internet bundles in Malawi is very high and with the economic crisis that we are going through, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, it’s becoming very hard for parents to access the lessons.
Promise Chenda, who is one of form 3 Bedir students said that the google conference is very fine as compared to Edupage some of the teachers are not uploading their lessons on time. Once you miss the lesson you cannot have any access to it other time so you need to extend the time for each lesson so that if we miss it we can be able to find it later.
Bedir International School’s principal, Dias Zhumadilov, shaded more light on the Edupage saying the system is a good one.
Zhumadilov continued to say that despite the fact that the cost of internet is huge in the country, Education is important and cannot be ignored. He finally urged the parents to connect their children on internet for them to access the lessons.
Bedir students goes online
Imagine someone who wants to be so educated and have a bright future; working hard in class each and every day. Then after a marathon of attempts to achieve what you want, someone is denied access to go to school to learn. Very bad!
Am I going to achieve my dreams? I suggest this is a question bothering a lot of students this time around due to the so-called Covid 19 pandemic where schools are sometimes closed on the virtue of championing social distance, a method of preventing the further spread of Covid 19. This has forced the majority of students just stay at home while others lingering around, very bad still.
Knowing how importance education is, Bedir International School has not just folded its arms but rather folded its sleeves to foster education through the online lessons.
First time it was in March, 2020 where the normal school sessions were suspended in the country due the Covid 19 pandemic and Bedir International School was one of the few Private high schools that launched the online lessons.
It was successful via Whatsapp application and the system received a lot of positive reaction from students and parents.
Come January 2021 where another 21 day normal-school-session suspension has also been pronounced by Government due to the wrath of the second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic, Bedir has gone back on line but this time using a new system called Edupage.
Edupage is an advanced system, than whatsapp, where teachers interact with students on line.
Despite the fact that a slice of other students and parents are having a problem to smoothly manage the system courtesy of it being new, it has been observed that Bedir International School’s teachers are coping well with the system and even the students themselves are having fun with it. Other parents were also complaining about the expensiveness of data bundle.
Promise Chenda, who is one of form 3 Bedir students said that she prefers the google conference to Edupage because she observed that some of the teachers are not uploading their lessons on time.
She said once you miss the lesson you cannot have any access to it other time so you need to extend the time for each lesson so that if one miss it he or she can be able to find it later.
But still, Bedir International School’s principal Mr. Dias Zhumadilov, shaded more light on the Edupage saying the system is a good one.
Mr. Zhumadilov continued to say that despite the fact that the cost of internet is huge in the country, Education is important and cannot be ignored. He finally urged the parents to connect their children on internet for them to access the lessons.
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