No rescheduling of 2023/2024 academic session in flood-affected states

SEGAMAT: There will be no rescheduling of the 2023/2024 academic school session scheduled for March 19-20 in the flood-hit states, Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek said.

She said if work to repair flood-affected schools could not be done before those dates, students would have a choice to attend classes on Teaching and Learning at Home (PdPR).

“There are 17 schools affected by the severe flooding situation in Johor, with Segamat being the worst affected with 14 schools affected, while there are three affected schools in other districts. I think we will do our best to repair the damage promptly within those two weeks.

“We will not reschedule the school session, but we will give the option (by) PdPR for the learning process to continue,” she told reporters after visiting the temporary relief center at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Bali in Chaah here today.

Fadhlina said, based on the report received from the technical side as well as engineers, the affected schools suffered not only damage but also property damage, including teachers’ desks and furniture.

The school session for the 2023/2024 academic calendar starts on March 19 for Group A states (Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Johor), while March 20 for Group B states (Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak , Perlis, Penang) is , Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya).

As of this morning, flood casualties in three states totaled 53,040 people, with Johor totaling 49,410.

Aware of the difficulties faced by flood victims who suffered from the destruction of their school supplies including uniforms, Fadhlina said the education ministry will give affected students the flexibility to come to school in normal clothes.

“We have ingenuity and humane considerations so that they (students) can come to school in normal clothes while they still go to school and the lesson starts as usual,” she added.

Previously, she also visited the aid center in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Chaah here. -Bernama