KUALA LUMPUR: There will be flexibility accorded to students and parents when the 2022/2023 school year begins on March 21.
Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said this includes allowing flexibility for parents and guardians in the event they choose not to send their children to schools when classes recommence.
"If parents and guardians choose not to send their children to school over fears of Covid-19, the absence of the children will not be regarded as a disciplinary offence. Parents and guardians who choose to do so however must inform the respective schools for record purposes," he said in a video clip explaining the operation of schools for the 2022/2023 year, which was uploaded on his Facebook account.
Although students are encouraged to don their school uniforms when schools reopen, he said the ministry also understood the predicament faced by students whose uniforms no longer fit them.
"Therefore, the students can wear any attire as long as it is decent and suitable," he said.
To curb the spread of the virus at schools, Radzi said the ministry will continue implementing the National Covid-19 Testing Strategy of testing 10 per cent of the students.
Students, he said, will be randomly selected to undergo Covid-19 self-test where the self-test kits will be provided by the ministry.
He said the students will perform the self-test kits at home and update the result of the test with their respective schools.
"The school operation for the 2022/2023 school year is more open as we can see that almost all students will return to schools without the need to undergo the rotation system.
"The ministry on our end will continue to monitor the situation from time to time.
"What is more important is that the ministry hopes that all parents, students and the entire education community will continue complying with the Covid-19 prevention standard operating procedures (SOP) when schools reopen," he said.