Some parents are dissatisfied with the government’s requirements that students are tested for Covid-19 before returning to school.

They say the testing, which requires inserting cotton swabs into students’ nostrils, is painful and unnecessary. The tests cost $100 or $110 depending on the school and include the issuance of a health certificate.

Schools are expected to start reopening next month.

A man who asked not to be named told The Post on Tuesday that he and 100 other parents opposed the testing.

He said inserting the cotton wool into the noses of five and six-year-old pupils is wrong because it causes them discomfort.

“We are seeking a solution from schools because doing so [testing] is like treating children poorly. Inserting cotton wool into their noses is painful. We take pity on our children. Schools don’t draw their blood. Drawing blood wouldn’t matter,” he said.

Twenty international private schools with high safety standards have received permission from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to reopen next month. They are required to carry out Covid-19 preventive measures as advised by the health and education ministries.

Several schools said they would start reopening on August 10.

Educational institutions were first shut in March after the the first positive case of Covid-19.

A letter from an international school in Phnom Penh seen by The Post said parents had to sign an agreement saying they were willing to pay for Covid-19 testing expenses.

Parents had to agree to take their children to be tested for Covid-19, which would be prepared by schools, in line with the government’s required conditions.

Some parents posted the requirements on social media to express their opposition to them. They said foreign teachers returning from overseas during the crisis should be tested for the virus.

They supported other measures, including frequently spraying disinfectants, taking temperatures daily, washing hands with alcohol or soap, teaching students how to wash their hands properly, requiring them to wear facemasks and practising social distancing.

Education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha told The Post on Tuesday that the Covid-19 testing requirement was an inter-ministerial decision.

He said even though schools were allowed to reopen, not all students would be allowed to physically return to schools immediately. Students will take turns studying at school and online at home.

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