THE new school term for the 2022-2023 academic session, which will begin on March 21, will be more open with almost all students to attend classes without rotation, Senior Education Minister Radzi Jidin said. 

However, he said, the Education Ministry will continue to monitor the situation to decide the date for students to attend school without rotation.

“When school reopens, we (the ministry) hope the parents, students and teachers as well as those involved in education can work together to ensure that the standard operating procedures are complied with so that the school session can proceed safely and in an organised manner,” he said via video shared on his Facebook account today.

He said for parents or guardians who have chosen not to send their children to school when school reopens, their absence will not be considered as a disciplinary offence, but they are required to inform the school for record purposes.

On the operation of primary schools, Radzi said students of public and private schools, including expatriate schools and international schools, with an enrolment of fewer than 600 students, are required to attend face-to-face classes without rotation.

“Private primary schools, including expatriate schools and international schools, with an enrolment of more than 600 pupils can apply to the ministry to completely operate without rotation,” he said.

Radzi said for primary schools with an enrolment of more than 600 pupils, Year 3, 4 and 5 students can attend classes on a rotational basis and this also applies to private schools, expatriate schools and international schools.

As for students with special needs in Sekolah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas and Integrated Special Education Programme, pre-school, Year 1, 2 and 6 as well as recipients of the Supplementary Food Programme recipients, they have to attend physical school sessions without rotation, he said.

On the Covid-19 self-screening test for 10% of primary school children implemented during the previous school term, Radzi said the requirement will be maintained for the new year session and the ministry will supply the test kits for the children to do the test at home and report the results to the school.

For secondary schools, he said, all students will undergo home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) for two weeks starting March 21.

All the students will start face-to-face classes without rotation from April 4, except for those in boarding schools, he said, adding that they included students with special needs, transition classes, Forms One to Six, pre-university students, International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students and international examination students and the equivalent.

Radzi said for boarding secondary schools, students who will attend school without rotation are those in Forms Two to Six, pre-university students, IBDP or the equivalent and they will be allowed into their hostel starting April 4.

He said Form One students who are qualified to enter boarding schools can choose to either undergo PdPR or transit at the nearest daily schools until the date of admission to boarding schools is announced by the ministry.

“This means that Form One students who have been offered boarding schools must stay at home and attend classes via PdPR or attend nearby schools for face-to-face classes until the announcement by the ministry,” he said.

Radzi said for fully residential private schools that have the capacity to fully operate face-face learning, they can do so, including for Form One students.

On school uniforms, he said the ministry would prefer students to wear them to school.

However, they are allowed to wear appropriate and decent clothing if their existing uniform no longer fit them, he said.

For vocational colleges, he said, the school session will begin without rotation according to their respective academic year, and this includes for students taking the Malaysian Vocational Certificate and the Malaysian Vocational Diploma exams.

He said for matriculation colleges, all students will attend classes without rotation according to their respective academic calendars.

For those in the four-semester system, students in semesters two and four will attend classes without rotation, and those in semester two for those in the two-semester system, he said.

As for teacher education institutes, Radzi said physical classes for all programmes will be carried out according to the current academic calendar. – Bernama, March 5, 2022.