Jakarta. Sekolah Pelita Harapan is ready to welcome students back into classrooms in the upcoming academic year and put an end to distance learning as the Covid-19 pandemic is easing across the country.

Students look forward to in-person learning with great enthusiasm, said Stephanie Riady, the executive director of  Pelita Harapan Education Foundation, or YPPH.

"We believe that face-to-face learning is both very important and useful. Our plan is for SPH to return to 100 percent in-person learning after the current academic year," Stephanie said during an interview at SPH Kemang Village in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Students greeted the decision enthusiastically because they have been waiting for face-to-face learning for a long time, she added.

Stephanie admitted that online education has its merits, as the school management had to explore the use of technology to develop a new education system during the pandemic.

"But we saw a fairly great extent of limitations in it, especially for children at kindergarten and elementary classes of up to the sixth grade. We believe that it remains very important for them to have in-person classes," Stephanie said.

SPH implements a model of holistic education, not solely pursuing the cognitive development of students, she said, adding that SPH emphasizes the development of intellectual, mental, physical, and emotional abilities in all students.

Despite a steady decline in new Covid-19 cases across the country, SPH will continue to implement strict health protocols because the safety of students, teachers, and employees is seen as paramount, Stephanie said.

"We are regularly conducting screening and tests for Covid-19 to ensure that strict health protocols remain in place and minimize the risk of infections in the school," Stephanie said.

SPH last year became the first school in the Greater Jakarta area as well as the first private school in Indonesia to hold the Covid-19 vaccination for adolescents. All SPH students across the five campuses — namely SPH Lippo Village, Sentul City, Lippo Cikarang, Kemang Village, and Pluit Village — can get their Covid-19 shots. SPH also offered vaccination for students’ parents.