Q: How has the school been coping with Covid-19?
Dr Hang: On a whole I feel that it has been manageable. I remember 2003, the SARS incident. That experience helped a lot. I’m aware that since then the entire system has been preparing for such kinds of emergencies and I think this time it was really putting some of those plans into action.
What helped as a whole system I sense is that when we have to make decisions, for example, to ring-fence certain groups of people, make immediate changes to the curriculum plans … we explained to the staff and students and they took it very well. They will just move on and operate accordingly. So many of these changes happened very swiftly and smoothly.
Q: Why do you think that is so?
Dr Hang: Trust. It’s extremely important. Having been in service for so long, I value this trust within the entire system. Right from the senior management all the way to people on the ground, there’s this belief that there’s transparency and whatever decisions that we make have been well considered. And once the rationales are explained clearly, people know exactly what to do and with this trust we just move on and do exactly what we should do.
Q: Can you share how this situation has impacted the staff?
Dr Hang: Well, the Operations Support Officers (OSOs) have had to step up and increase the frequency of cleaning. But what impressed me was their high spirit. They knew the purpose and the importance of their roles and when I observed them daily, they were doing it with commitment and with heart. I think the whole team here actually understands that whatever they do well has a tremendous impact on the environment and everybody.
My VPs and I move around. We say hello to them and check that everything’s ok with them. Sometimes a simple ‘Thank you very much’ makes a lot of difference.
Some of my students make cards to express their appreciation. They will place these on our college Facebook to show them their appreciation.
Q: What has been your takeaway from this situation?
Dr Hang: What touches me when I observe some of these expressions of appreciation is not in words, it’s actually the body language… the eye contact when people watch some of the OSOs cleaning, you can sense that they are really showing appreciation.
I recently received an email from a parent who was so appreciative of what the college has done from Day 1 until now. She said she really thanks us for the care and the love for the children and I think that is something that makes JPJC because all of us feel that we are a family here.
When it comes to care, it is not just about words, but it’s about action and it’s the spontaneity of it. When we need staff to come forward and say… man some of the stations for temperature taking, we get volunteers to fill up the slots almost spontaneously.
Some of our staff have been actually at the gate on some mornings and others step forward to say, “You should take a rest”, and they will take over…
This is almost like clockwork and that is something I truly appreciate.
Watch our video with Dr Hang here.
