Traditional Balinese dancer in costume wearing a mask to ward off evil spirits.
“Balinese Barong Dancer” by Hoks is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In the news we see varying degrees of responses towards schools reopening with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our thoughts are aligned towards how the re-opening of schools is going to take place, as it is the centralized space for learning in our community. However, the reality is many youth in the world don’t have a mandated right to attend public school especially when living in poverty.
Full article from video here
For homeless youth in Indonesia, the priorities are food, shelter, and a safe place to sleep. Social distancing and fears of contracting Covid-19 are the least of these young people’s concern.
Children with supportive families in Indonesia don’t have the same social net as we have in Canada. We have been very fortunate that Canadian citizens are able to receive $2000 per month in social assistance through the CERB program in supporting their families in facing the reality of job losses.
With in-laws living in Bali, Indonesia, they have shared with me the realities of life under the strain of Covid-19. There are no hand-outs from the government, and people with contracts working for the government have gone through a reduction in wages. At one point no wages were received for two months due to office closures, although employees were expected to still volunteer their time, for the sake of job security, helping to disinfect public areas. Bali is a densely populated island that heavily relies on the tourist industry for over half of their revenue. Schools on the island are either private or public, with the difference of private schools costing more and public schools costing less. Education is not free. When parents lose their income or have it reduced, it increases the risk of food and health security for children.
Elementary schools in Bali have not re-opened. Teachers use their phones to text students assigned work with expectations that parents provide the support. Students receive participation marks, but no assessment on the learning outcomes takes place. My eight year old niece last week received thirty-five math questions for homework but only did three. I think it is challenging for parents to get students to engage who have been socially and mentally disconnected from school for a few months now.
The Balinese provincial government has a tentative plan to re-open the borders for international tourists September 11th. The hope is to bring life back to the economy. It is an uneasy balance between supporting the livelihood of the community and increasing the risk of Covid-19 with no easy answer.
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