COMMENT | Balancing education and children's future

COMMENT | This week was the start of the school year and with three children at home (two school-going while another one, Achilles, just sleeps the mornings away because he’s only one year old), it can get quite hectic. But then again, it is coming to almost a year now that they haven’t been physically to school.

Now that Malaysia is under MCO 2.0, it doesn’t look like school is going to reopen anytime soon. However, kindergartens are allowed to open, thankfully, so my second daughter Alethea gets to meet her teachers and friends to socialise. But the SOPs are extremely strict, of course.

She has to wear a mask and face shield. They sit at tables that are divided by plastic sheets. Only pre-approved items are allowed to be in their school bags. And, of course, all the usual temperature taking and disinfecting happen as well. But that’s okay...