Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Jidin yesterday announced that all students from non-examination classes who went home for the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday will not be allowed to return to their hostel. Instead, these students will continue their lessons through home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).
As reported by national news agency Bernama, Radzi said the decision was made in order to protect students who would be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination this year from possible Covid-19 infection. The Education Minister further clarified,
“We will continue to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures (SOP) in boarding schools, in particular, can be improved. The Education Ministry has also stepped up monitoring in schools to ensure all SOPs can be complied with and can reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection,”
Education Minister, Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin.
Radzi also commented on the recent increase of Covid-19 cases in the education sector, saying that there have been a cumulative 118,238 cases recorded from 1 January to 1 February this year. Furthermore, out of this total number of cases:
- 8,451 cases (7.15%) were related to education clusters.
- 109,787 (92.85%) were related to other clusters.
The Education Minister further elaborated that there are 303 clusters nationwide during the mentioned period and that 100 clusters (33%) involve educational institutions under MOE, while 86 clusters (28.38%) involve institutions not under the ministry.
What do you guys think of the Education Ministry’s decision to bar non-SPM students from returning to their hostels if they went back home during the CNY holidays? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: MOE: Viral “White Rice & Gravy” is NOT What The Students Are Receiving in School
