BY SANTOKH SINGH and VEENA BHARWANI

WILL the current June school holidays be extended?

With more cases of the Influenza A(H1N1), this was the hot question in teachers' circles yesterday.

It seems most schools have seriously started gearing up for a longer break. Messages and e-mails have been sent out to teachers by heads of departments and principals asking them for their online lesson plans.

Several teachers The New Paper contacted confirmed that they have been asked to start preparing alternative forms of lessons that can be conducted without students and themselves having to go to school.

Most have been told to submit their lesson plans by next week.

Not surprised

Said a teacher from a school in the west: 'We were already warned, even before the holidays, of the possibility of having schools closed should theH1N1bugspread.

'So it is not a surprise that we have been asked to produce our lesson plans. And with the rate at which the flu bug is spreading, and the possibility of a community outbreak, I won't be surprised if schools remain shut for a while more.

'Anyway, it won't be a first time for us. We did it before during the Sars outbreak.'

We are not naming the teachers as they need clearance to be quoted in the press.

The annual June school break lasts for a month. This year's holidays began on 1 Jun and will end on 28 Jun. Students are to return to school on29 Jun.

Over March and April 2003, schools were shut for three weeks when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) virus claimed 32 lives here. Then, most schools conducted lessons online and the system proved to be quite successful.

Another teacher, from a secondary school in the east, basing his conclusions on messages sent out so far, reasoned: 'The way things are going, it seems quite imminent that we may have to work from home.

'It would be a logical conclusion to extend the break, create an automatic quarantine system for all students and teachers, instead of only those who travelled.

'So many students and teachers would have travelled to countries affected by H1N1, and for those coming back late next week, they would have to be quarantined anyway.

'Teachers who travel may also have to stay at home for at least seven days. So it would be easier for all to just stay away for another week or so, make sure no one travels during that period and help contain the spread before were start.'

When contacted, the Ministry of Education, sent an e-mail response, saying that it is monitoring the situation carefully, and is in close consultation with the Ministry of Health. It added: 'With the current situation, school closure is not anticipated to be necessary but should the situation evolve... schools are ready to implement home-based learning.'

Schools are also coming up with contingency plans for students and teachers who have travelled toH1N1affected areas.

According to a teacher from a secondary school in the west, teachers returning from affected areas will be asked not to participate in school activities for seven days on their return. Affected countries include the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand.

At least one school is now working to see how these teachers can be temporarily replaced.

Said the English teacher, 29: 'There are several teachers who are being deployed to prepare and fine-tune e-lesson packages for students.' Teachers in her school are preparing to activate home-based learning plans.

Teachers at this school have also been told via e-mail to prepare a one-week online lesson plan - or five one-hour lessons - as a start.

A principal, who asked not to be named, said: 'We have to look at all alternatives. If everyone uses the online system, it may cause a jam, or even crash.

'We are also considering the possibility of posting the lessons and assignments to students.'

Teachers have mixed feelings about these plans.

Said a 32-year-old primary school teacher: 'We had meetings the first two weeks and now we have to suddenly rush the lesson plans. Our break has been disrupted too many times already.

'I just hope they don't take away our September holidays if they extend the June holidays. We need that short break to rejuvenate and relax before the last term begins.'

Another teacher who teaches in a secondary school in the east said: 'I have a trip to Korea planned during the September holidays, but my head told me that all school trips might be cancelled in light of theH1N1virus.

'All of us are just waiting for more information now.'

Schools here typically break for a week in September.

Three parents The New Paper spoke to also had mixed feelings about the possible extension of the holidays.

Parent Lee Mun Cheong, 47, said he is looking forward to the extended holidays, if it materialises. Said the father of four: 'I don't have to wake up so early. But teachers will be up in arms over their lessons and exams.'

However, parent Noorjahan P K Ibrahim Kutty, 44, thinks it would be an overreaction if they carried on with the extension. Madam Noorjahan, who has three teenage children, said: 'If teachers or students have travelled to affected areas, then they should be personally responsible and stay home for one week as an added precaution.

'If you keep the kids at home, even with online lessons planned by schools, they will go out after that and that would be worse.'

The MOE called for parental support.

It said: 'We also seek the cooperation of parents to monitor their children's health carefullyand exercise social responsibility.

'Parents should not send their unwell children to school, but seek medical attention instead, particularly if they have travelled to affected countries during the school holidays.'

Students The New Paper spoke to mostly supported the possible extension - with a Facebook group dedicated to the cause already. As of last evening, the group had 1,150 members.

Several H1N1-hit countries have closed schools recently.

In Japan, officials have shut down about 1,000 schools, since many of those infected were high school students. Last week, the Hong Kong government ordered all kindergartens and primary schools to be closed for two weeks after 12 students tested positive.

Additional reporting by Benita Aw Yeong

This article was first published in The New Paper.