A student attends an online class from home during the MCO in Petaling Jaya. — Malay Mail photo
PUTRAJAYA (April 27): School sessions will be held online for two weeks after the Hari Raya holidays through the home-based teaching and learning method (PdPR), said Senior Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
It will be implemented from May 16-27 for group A schools (in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu) and May 17-28 for group B schools (in Perlis, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang, Sabah, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya).
Radzi said the decision was made to avoid the risk of Covid-19 infections in schools after the school holidays to celebrate Aidilfitri from May 7-15 for group A schools and May 8-16 for group B schools.
He said after the PdPR period, students will continue their term holidays from May 28 to June 12 for group A schools and May 29 to June 13 for group B schools.
“Last year the schools were already closed during the Aidilfitri festive period, so we don’t know what the post-Hari Raya data will be like.
“We are especially worried about those who will return to the hostels, because there is a possibility of some having contracted the disease from outside, so we are taking this step to control the spread, because, after the festival, students will remain at home for a longer period of time,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
In the meantime, Radzi said students and pupils living in school hostels under the MoE nationwide would be allowed to return home to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and resume learning via the PdPR method for two weeks after the holidays.
The schedule for the 2021 schooling session previously required students and pupils to return to school for two weeks after the Aidilfitri holidays before going on a term break. — Bernama