Heightened hygiene standards to prepare for school re-opening in 2021
- First education institution in
Malaysia to install Upper Air UVGI disinfection to keep indoor air safe - 35 units of these revolutionary
air sterilizers installed, and works in tandem with split unit air conditioners - Active indoor air management is
becoming a new norm as business capacity returns
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media
OutReach – 22 December 2020 – Schools have been deeply impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and virtual
classrooms have taken over physical ones. Whilst school premises remain empty
for most of 2020, classes have been conducted in the digital environment,
leaving many parents distraught over the challenge of lower engagement and
increased distractions as compared to physical classrooms environments, a
format which still yields superior results and deeper learning by students,
according to assistant to MD of Tree Top International School, Ms Loh Lin
Khuan.
“We wanted to regain a safe indoor environment
so that students could be physically present and focus better in an
experiential learning environment. The online learning environment made it
harder to develop inter-personal communication skills and also requires alot of
self-discipline from the student. So it was critical for us to find a solution
to keep the indoor spaces in Tree Top at its safest level so as to reduce the
level of anxiety everyone experienced for the better part of 2020” said Ms Loh
Like many other educational institutions, Tree
Top International School uses split unit air-conditioning systems and the
challenge to sanitise over 350,000 cubic feet of indoor air proved to be a huge
challenge. Most of these systems do not allow for ventilation.
Ms Loh further added: “We have made efforts to
sanitise surfaces but realised there was no systematic way to sanitise large
volumes of air without investing in intrusive air ducts and cumbersome
ventilation blowers and filters. At the end of the day, students still want a
quiet, cool learning environment which meant that air conditioners had to be
kept running with the windows and doors shut to prevent heat, noise and dust
from entering the premises. This put us in a difficult balance between the need
for a comfortable indoor environment and biologically clean air”
“As
scientists started to uncover more evidence of airborne transmission of
Covid-19 and international guidelines were surfacing on how to prepare school
premises for safe indoor environemtn, we knew we had to find an effective
solution to achieve safe indoor air fast and economically.
This
classroom in Treetop International school features an Upper Air UVC luminaire
designed and supplied by TheUVC.co
At the end of the day, the Tree Top
International School management decided to proceed with the Upper Air UVC
units, supplied by TheUVC.co, featuring a unique design that sanitises
incoming air with a UVC lamp and a photocatalytic air filter as it enters the
split unit air conditioner.
“When we were first introduced to the idea of
this UV attachment, we were sceptical how a simple UV light can purify the
air, but after some research, we discovered it has been used successfully for
over 70 years to fight Tuberculosis and Measles, both contagious airborne
diseases. We realised It is indeed a very efficient way to biologically clean
the indoor air, not much different from how our sun sanitises the outdoor air.”
With this new air disinfection system in
place, perhaps there is fresh hope for a new normality for the students and
teachers at Tree Top International School as they return to their learning
environment with the help of these novel air sterilizers come January 2021.
About TreeTop Education Group
Tree Top education group
operates in 2 locations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, providing quality teaching
for preschool, primary and IGCSE. We
inspire children to discover their fullest potential through self-motivation
and by developing respect for self, family and the community. Our motto of
“Child Inspired Learning n Beyond Academic Excellence” reflects that philosophy
as we prepare children to blossom to their fullest potential in order to be
well prepared for real-world environment and opportunities.
