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PUTRAJAYA: Schools in Malaysia will close from Monday (November 9), the Ministry of Education announced on Sunday.
The last day of the school year in Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu was supposed to be December 17 and December 18 for other states.
Education Minister Dr. Radzi Jidin said the decision to close schools earlier was made after the implementation of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in all the states of the peninsula except Kelantan, Pahang and Perlis. , which will be in effect from Monday to December 6.
“The measure is taken to aid the government’s efforts to break the chain of COVID-19 infection.
“In accordance with the school academic calendar for 2021 that was announced earlier, the school term will begin on January 20, 2021. All elementary students will begin face-to-face learning on that date,” he said at a news conference on Sunday.
Radzi said that students from Form One, Form Four, Form Five and Form Six, as well as those from vocational colleges, will also begin face-to-face learning on the same date.
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Form Two and Form Three students would also start on the same date, but with home learning. They will only return to school on March 8, 2021 to receive face-to-face classes.
Radzi said that the Form Two and Form Three student classrooms would be used to accommodate Form Five students, who will sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2020 exam, which begins on February 22, 2021.
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On the limitations that students face in rural areas, especially in gaining access to the Internet for online learning, Radzi said the ministry would leave the matter to teachers to use any approach or resource to ensure that students are not left behind. back in their studies.
For students staying in hostels, Radzi said parents or guardians should bring their children home.
“However, students can continue to stay in the shelters while they wait to be picked up by their parents or guardians,” he said, adding that during this period, they would be under the supervision of the shelter guardian and their food and drinks would be provided by the school.
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Radzi said the first day of next year’s school academic session also applies to private schools and any institution of learning registered with the ministry.
For schools that are not registered with the Ministry of Education, they are also advised to do the same, he added.
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