(From left) Putra Adryan Ismadi, Nurhaiqal Iskandar, Qallif Khairy Adinan and Putra Indra Maulana Zainal pose happily in their SK Matang Jaya classroom.
KUCHING: The 2014 term started well for schools here yesterday despite the incessant rain.
At SK Matang Jaya, pupils were delighted to be seated in their respective classrooms, eager to learn new things and make new friends.
They were seen engrossed in their lessons and did not pine for their parents.
The school has 167 Primary 1 pupils this year.
At SK St Joseph, pupils were well behaved and listened attentively to their teachers’ instructions.
During an ice-breaking session, some were shy when asked to introduce themselves but others were fearless and loved speaking with the microphone.
Only a handful of parents stayed when the school session began.
The school has four classrooms for the 133 Primary 1 pupils – interestingly named 1 Arsenal, 1 Manchester, 1 Chelsea and 1 Liverpool.
This year sees an increase in the number of schools and classes at preschool, primary and secondary level in Sarawak.
In a press release, state education director Datu Abdillah Adam said there are an additional 26 preschool classes this year, bringing the overall number of classes to 1,408 at preschools, 1,079 at primary schools and two classes at secondary schools.
There are also 15 preschool classes at four teacher-training institutes, four classes at religious schools and four classes at special education schools.
This will benefit 28,350 children aged between four and six.
There are also two additional primary schools – SK Tegulang and SK Metalun in Belaga – which bring the total number of operating primary schools to 1,265 this year.
This figure comprises 1,032 national schools, 221 national-type schools, eight government-assisted religious schools and four special education national schools.
The enrolment of pupils from Primary 1 to 6 in Sarawak this year stands at 249,209, of which 42,328 are in Primary 1.
Meanwhile, there are 186 secondary schools operating including the new SMK Sri Matang.
“The total number of student enrolment at national secondary schools is 216,205, which also includes 1,241 students from special education integrated programme classes,” said Abdillah.
He also noted that 3,539 Primary 6 students will undergo transition class while 43,988 students are in Form 1 this year.
A total of 26,799 teachers are serving at primary schools while 15,520 teachers are based at secondary schools.