The long interruption in schooling could possibly last until next year for most students as the education ministry prepares to announce new guidelines to help teachers and students cope with Covid-19 containment measures.
A source close to discussions on the reopening of schools nationwide said only secondary school students facing critical examinations could see a return to physical classrooms.
“The plan is to suspend schooling for primary schools until next year,” the source told FMT.
However, FMT also added they has not been able to verify this with the relevant authorities.
But Education Minister Radzi Jidin indicated that only Form 4 and 6 students at some 3,000 secondary schools nationwide could be affected by the reopening of schools.
Radzi said the school reopening management guidelines, jointly drafted with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Security Council (NSC), would be distributed tomorrow, detailing how students’ movement could be controlled in the school compound to fulfil social distancing requirements.
“We issued these guidelines to see which methods need to be done in the context of school reopening and proper preparations to ensure that whenever we announce the date, they will be ready.
“The ministry has always discussed any room for improvement with the schools. And most importantly, everyone should play a role in the management of schools, teachers and parents. For example, if the child has symptoms then the child should stay at home,” he told Bernama.
Radzi also said parents should not worry about sending their children to school although no date has been fixed yet. MOH and NSC will decide the time to reopen schools and announcement will be made 2 weeks prior school reopen.
Source : FMT