PUTRAJAYA SEPT.12: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has affirmed that all school pupils will remain in the same classes until February 2022 and will only shift to the higher level (classes) starting March 2022 due to the closure of schools nationwide since May 2021 until today.
MOE Minister, Datuk Dr. Mohd. Radzi Md. Jidin said, the extension of the session is to enable the school teachers to analyse the achievement of the pupils and to prepare them before they start the new session in March 2022.
“Within the two months the school teachers will conduct intervention programmes including identifying which group needs support and help before they proceed to the next level,” Mohd. Radzi said in his special briefing on TV1 live telecasted here today.
Mohd. Radzi added, for smart students, the teachers will assist them with certain topics that have been “mastered” by pupils in the same level.
The Minister added, the extension is also important for pupils who have no access or did not attend the home based teaching and learning (PdPR) that has been conducted virtually since March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
On the question whether the education term this time will be shorter, Mohd. Radzi said, the academic calendar will be extended to 2022 until 2023.
Regarding the vaccination status of teachers, he said there are two categories firstly teachers that have been vaccinated and secondly those who choose not to be vaccinated.
“For those who choose not to be vaccinated, they will not teach face to face and will be given other jobs. The Ministry will discuss further on their positions with the Public Service Departments,” Mohd. Radzi said.
Earlier Mohd. Radzi said, the schools will be reopened on 3rd and 4th October starting with students sitting for examinations without rotation system. The Form Six, Semester 2 students who will sit for the STPM examination at the end of October will attend their classes without rotation system.
However he said all primary and secondary schools in Phase one of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) will be closed while in Phase Two will be opened and in Phase Three the primary schools will be opened too.
“The schools will only be opened with 50 per cent capacity in one class and it is divided into two groups. The first group will attend the class face to face for a week while the other group will follow the classes via PdPR and it will be on rotation basis.
“Some parents are still not sure to send their children to school as the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing. The parents can choose not to send their children to school but have to write a letter stating the reasons for the school record. The school will not issue any discipline letter or fine the parents for that matter,” he reiterated.
The Minister also highlighted that pupils are allowed to wear any suitable and well presented dress or shirt to school if their uniforms are already tight. The spirit is for them to attend classes and come back to the education system after a long break.
Regarding students staying in the hostels, the Minister said, they have to be tested three times for COVID-019 using the test kits. The first test will be done before entering the hostel, the second after the sixth day and the third on the 14th day.
“The test is to ensure students’ in the hostels are safe from COVID-19 infections where all the living rooms have optimum ventilation,” he said.
He added, the reopening of the school sessions involve five million pupils/students, more than 500,000 teachers and over 10,000 schools nationwide.-Malaysia World News
