SEGAMAT – There will be no postponement of the 2023/2024 academic school session scheduled for March 19 and 20 in flood-hit states, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
She said if reparation works for schools hit by floods could not be carried out before those dates, students would be given the choice to attend classes via home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).
“There are 17 schools affected by the severe flooding situation in Johor – Segamat being the worst hit involving 14 schools while three others are located in other districts. I think we will do our best to repair the damage immediately within these two weeks.
“We will not postpone the school session but will give (students) the option (to go through) PdPR so that the learning process continues,” she told reporters after visiting the temporary relief centre at SK Seri Bali, in Chaah, here today.
Fadhlina said based on reports from the technical team, the floods had caused damage to the affected schools, including assets such as teachers’ desks and furniture.
The school session for the 2023/2024 academic calendar will start on March 19 for Group A states (Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Johor), and March 20 for Group B states (Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya).
As of this morning, the number of flood victims in three affected states recorded a total of 53,040 people, with Johor recording a total of 49,410 individuals.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina added that students whose uniforms were destroyed by the flood will be given flexibility to attend school wearing normal clothes.
“We have ingenuity and humane considerations, so they (students) can come to school in normal clothes as long as they still attend school and start the school session as usual,” she added.
Earlier, she also visited the relief centre at SMK Chaah here. – Bernama, March 6, 2023
