[UPDATED] In-person school session kicks off in Group B states

KUALA LUMPUR – The third term of the 2021-2022 school session for 12 states in Group B kicked off today with students generally excited to attend face-to-face classes for the first time in months.

Parents said unlike online classes, face-to-face schooling allows students to interact with their friends and teachers and offers a more conducive environment for learning and development of students.

The schools in Group B are from the three federal territories, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor.

A Bernama check at SMK Maxwell here found that many parents were thankful for seeing their children attend school in person after undergoing a tough period of studying online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mathibathanan Ramakrishnan, 57, said it is far more beneficial for students to attend classes in person, especially in terms of their mental health.

“In school, my son can socialise with his friends and teachers. The learning process is also more efficient because it’s easier to ask questions. To me, online classes still have many problems,” he told Bernama here today.

Bernama learnt that SMK Maxwell, which was affected by floods last month, managed to reopen for the new term after it was cleaned up by parents who are alumni of the school.

In Selangor, Education Minister Datuk Radzi Jidin spent more than an hour inspecting the operation at SK Meru in Kapar, Klang, near here.

Zainal Sadari, 38, said his twin daughters, Ariana Nur Iman Tihani and Althia Nur Iman Tihani, were very excited to attend preschool at SK Meru this morning as they had not met their friends in a long time.

In Perak, parents were seen sending their children to SK Seri Ampang in Ipoh using the drive-through measure introduced by the school as part of the standard operating procedures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Most of the students, from Years 1, 2 and 6, arrived as early as 6.50am, underwent temperature checks and were given hand sanitiser before entering their classrooms.

In Perlis, students were also in high spirits to clock in for the new term.

A Year 5 student of SJKT Kangar, K. Jeyshrini, said she is glad to be able to return to school for in-person classes and to meet her friends.

Her sentiment was shared by Noor Damia Mahamad Noor, a Year 1 pupil of SK Putra, Kangar, who said she was wakeful last night because she could not wait to come to school this morning.

In Melaka, state Education and Technology Committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said 85,136 primary school pupils and 65,219 secondary school students started the new term today.

He said there are 71 primary and secondary school students still taking shelter at three flood relief centres (PPS) in Jasin.

“No teachers were affected by the floods and all of them reported for duty this morning. Students with damaged textbooks and equipment should contact their respective school authorities for help,” he told reporters after presenting face masks to students and teachers of SK Tg Minyak.

In Negri Sembilan, a student of SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Gemas, Puteri Nur Hidayatul Akma Mohd Khairi, 16, showed great enthusiasm on the first day of school although she was not in uniform.

Puteri Nur Hidayatul turned up in a long-sleeved T-shirt, sports pants and slippers because her uniform and other school equipment were damaged in the floods that hit Taman Sg Gemas.

“This is the first time I’m attending school in home clothing because my uniform and other school paraphernalia were damaged and washed away by flood waters. But this did not dampen my spirit to attend school,” she added.

There are 107,522 primary school pupils and 86,823 secondary school students in five education districts in the state.

In Pahang, 34 schools including 10 in Pekan district could not start the new term today as they were still flooded.

Other flood-hit schools include six each in Temerloh and Rompin, four in Bera, three each in Jerantut and Lipis, and two in Kuantan. Six other schools also cannot yet operate as they were deemed unsuitable to accommodate students, although floodwaters have receded.

Meanwhile, school van operator Yusri Akob, 47, greeted the reopening of schools with a sigh of relief as his income was badly affected by the pandemic last year.

“My house in Kuantan was flooded last month, making it more urgent for me to make some money to replace the damaged items,” he said.

In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah education director Datuk Mistirine Radin said 536,395 students started the new term today, involving 1,075 primary and 218 secondary schools.

She said the number comprises 320,912 primary school pupils and 215,483 secondary school students. – Bernama, January 10, 2022