Schools & Tuition Centres Will Reopen From 15 July. Here Are 6 Things You Should Know
Year 1 to 4 students will be allowed to go back to school on 22 July.
By Alyssa Pong — 01 Jul 2020, 07:09 PM
The Ministry of Education (MOE) made several important announcements related to the reopening of schools at a press conference today, 1 July
Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin revealed that all students from Year 5 to Form 6 are to go back to school starting from Wednesday, 15 July.
Year 1 to Year 4 students will be allowed to attend school a week later, on 22 July.
The MOE made this decision following advice from the Ministry of Health and the National Security Council.
1. Schools will be required to follow one of three learning models unveiled by the MOE
The models are:
- Single session schooling: For schools that have the space to safely accommodate all students at once. They will operate as per usual.
- Two-session schooling: For schools that can only accommodate students in two sessions.
- Rotation: For schools that are unable to host all students while safely adhering to standard operating procedures (SOPs). However, Form 5 and 6 students will be required to attend school daily.
Meanwhile, primary school students will attend school based on their classes or year. Their education will be a combination of home-based learning and face-to-face classes.
According to Dr Radzi Jidin, schools will be notified of which model they are to implement a week prior to the school's reopening.
2. Tuition and learning centres will also be allowed to open on 15 July
Those that are registered with the MOE will be able to open at the same time as other schools.
Schools and centres that are not registered with the ministry are similarly encouraged to open on the given dates.
3. Starting today, 1 July, students who applied for Form 6 will be able to check their offers
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2019 leavers will be able to check the status of their offers on the MOE's portal.
They can then register for classes on 15 July.
4. Boarding schools will have to follow specific guidelines, especially in regards to accommodation
Boarding schools which have enough space for students to practise social distancing will be allowed to operate as per normal.
However, those with limited room should consider bringing back students incrementally. Initially, students should only be allowed to sleep on the bottom bunk of a double-decker bed. After two weeks, these students will occupy the top bed while returning students take the bottom bunk.
All students should be allowed to return in 24 to 48 days, depending on the size of the student body.
5. Co-curricular activities and sports are still prohibited
The Education Minister noted that it is still not safe for students to participate in co-curricular and sporting activities, adding that they should only be going to school for academic purposes.
6. Dr Radzi Jidin addressed the changes made to year-end holidays
He explained, "Our priority is to ensure the students have enough time to prepare for the upcoming year."
The Education Minister continued by saying that they have found remote learning to be less effective than face-to-face classes. The MOE has therefore decided to stick to the reduced holiday of two weeks to allow sufficient time for students to learn all their content.
