SCHOOLS and institutions of higher learning under the Education Ministry will be closed for the rest of the year and will only reopen on January 20 after the latest conditional movement-control order (CMCO), said senior minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.

Although schools in Perlis, Pahang, Kelantan and Sarawak are not placed under the CMCO, they will be close in the effort to break the Covid-19 chain, he said.

Schools are expected to facilitate home-based or online learning to replace classroom study.

“All schools, including vocational colleges under the MOE in the involved states will be closed from November 9 until the last day of school for this calendar year, which is on December 17 for states in group A and on December 18 for states in group B.

Schools in Kelantan, Perlis, Pahang and Sarawak will also be closed from November 9 to December 17 for group A and December 18 for group B.

Yesterday, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said all states in the peninsula, except Perlis, Pahang and Kelantan, have been placed under CMCO from November 9 to December 6.

With the latest move to control the Covid-19 pandemic, the public can no longer travel interstate and inter-district.

“The National Security Council has agreed to implement CMCO on all states in the peninsula except for three states, Perlis, Pahang and Kelantan,” he said. 

The partial lockdown imposed on Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and the Federal Territories will also continue after it expires on Monday. 

Razdi said the ministry came to a decision to close all schools because schools in the CMCO states alone account for 74% of the total. 

“The schools under the purview of MOE in the CMCO-imposed areas alone accounted for up to 74%.

“So, due to that figure, MOE decided to shut all schools nationwide.” 

The education minister said all primary school pupils and those in Form 1, 4, 5 and 6 would return to school for physical classes on January 20, while those in Form 2 and 3 would start on the same day but as home-based or online learning. 

Form 2 and 3 pupils will return to school for face-to-face sessions on March 8.

Parents and guardians of pupils in boarding schools (asrama) would be allowed to take their children back to their respective homes. 

“Pupils can continue to stay in the hostel while waiting to be picked up by their parents or guardians.

“During this period, they will be under the supervision of the hostel warden and meals for them would be provided,” he said. 

Teachers will remain at their respective work states and district during the home-based or online learning period. – November 8, 2020.