KUALA LUMPUR: Schools nationwide are set to welcome all students - primary and secondary - in phases, starting July 15.
Education Senior Minister Dr Radzi Jidin announced this today as the country enters the recovery mode after three months of strict restrictions on movement to address the spread of Covid-19.
He said the process would be carried out in two phases.
The first phase of school reopening took place on June 24 for 500,444 students from over 2,500 schools taking their public examinations this year, namely Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM), Malaysian Vocational Certificate (SVM), Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM), Malaysian Higher Religious Certificate (STAM), and equivalent international school examinations.
Radzi said the second phase, starting July 15 (Wednesday) would involve students from Form 6 (Semester 1), Form 1 to Form 4, and Year 5 and Year 6 for primary schools, as well as remove classes (kelas peralihan).
The third phase, he said, starts on July 22 (Wednesday) and involves Year 1 to Year 4 pupils in primary schools.
"The decision to reopen schools for students of other educational levels in stages was made following advice from the Health Ministry and the National Security Council (NSC)," he said in a special televised address today.
All students, as well as parents and guardians, will have to adhere to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the Health Ministry, NSC, and Education Ministry.
The Education Ministry had on June 4, released a set of guidelines on reopening of schools that detail the necessary steps to be taken to ensure students, teachers, staff and visitors are protected.