Back to School - 1st July 2020

nomad97

nomad97

Resident Geek
It's been a long, long, long summer holiday this year but the signs are slowly emerging the children will return to their respective Government schools in two weeks' time. From the information provided yesterday and this morning, covering both the junior and secondary schools (Prathom and Mathydom respectively), it appears that class sizes will be reduced by 50% to accommodate social distancing rules. To accomplish this, students with even registration numbers will go to school on even days of the month and those with odd numbers on odd days of the month. In other words, students will do one day on and one day off according to their student number. During their off days, they are to be educated by online learning delivered over the Internet. Fortunately, both my daughters have even registration numbers. It would have been a lot of unnecessary running around had one been odd and the other even.

The schools intend to open on 1st July 2020 for those students with odd registration numbers. The first day back for students with even registration numbers will be 2nd July 2020, although online lesson plans will commence on 1st July 2020. Students will be required to wear face masks at school and observe social distancing rules. Information is still a little scant and how this is all going to work and is very much 'wait and see'.

From what I have observed since the beginning of this month, the online learning packages for secondary school students, delivered through Google Classroom, are very comprehensive and well presented. At the beginning of June, students were required to learn from 08.30 until 14.30 with an hour off for lunch. With effect from today, 18th June, they are now required to study until 15.30 each day. My eldest daughter is certainly kept pretty busy with assignments and homework, often until late at night. However, the online learning package for my youngest daughter (junior school) seems to be extremely light in content and she is usually finished well before 10.00 each day. My wife and I have provided additional learning packages to pad out her 'learning' day.

N.B. This information is for the two schools my daughters attend in Surin: AnubarnSurin Junior School, and Sirindhorn Secondary School for Girls. What is happening elsewhere, I have no idea.
 
The Regents International School, Pattaya, where my daughter works, re-opened to students this week. With limited numbers in each class, all can attend every day. However she reported that it was chaotic, as 1,000 students all arrived at about the same time and had to be temperature checked amongst other things, which somewhat delayed the start of classes. Then there were some 100 teachers and support staff!!!! Obviously some fine tuning needed.
 
I did say to my eldest daughter this morning, the new system will break up the way your class is organised. There are 14 classes in each year, and there are 40 students in each class. For years 1, 2, and 3, each class is sub-divided into 2 groups of 20 each. The students in each group are registered as 1A to 20A and, quite logically, the other group is numbered 1B to 20B. I spotted the obvious glitch with the new system. Schooling odds and evens would effectively break up the existing groups and make 2 new groups of 20 each, one comprising of even numbers and the other of odd-numbered students. Surprise, surprise, a new system for the Sirindhorn School was announced this afternoon. This corrects this mistake and allows existing sub-groups for each class to remain intact. They have decided to let each sub-group study one week on and one week off. For example, sub-group A will study at school Week 1 while sub-group B will do online study at home. Week 2, sub-group B will go to school while sub-group A studies online at home. To me, one week on and one week off would seem to be a better and less disruptive way of providing education during Covid-19 and the need for social distancing. :D:D:D
 
My stepson who attends Sirindhorn Snr High has had very little formal school work during the shutdown. He came home this evening after spending his recent afternoons playing basketball at school having been told that parents must pay the school fees for the term on the 26th June, and that he must attend alone with the cash when instructed to do so on that date. He hasn't been given anything like the comprehensive information held by Nomad, but he has been told that the usual school fee of 12,000 baht that we pay is being discounted by 2,000 baht because of the disruption. What price do we place on our kids' education, and what education should they receive for that price?
 
Ha, ha, ha!

From the Pattaya News:

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Meanwhile, back in sunny Surin, both my daughters and my wife tell me this is not yet confirmed by either school, AnubarnSurin nor Sirindhorn. As of last night, neither school has issued any update on what is going on and the position is 'no change' to existing arrangements, i.e., day on/day off or week on/week off.
 
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