Rokiah Mahmud
The academic session for Year 7 up to Year 9 is scheduled to start on January 17 under the second phase of the opening of education institutions in the early Endemic Phase adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Students must undergo COVID-19 swab test screening using the antigen rapid test (ART) once a week, said Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman in a statement during the press conference yesterday.
The minister added that guidelines on procedures can be referred to the ministry’s website and social media platform.
He also announced the opening of Kindergarten 1 and 2 for children aged three and four.
Kindergarten centres or schools can only operate at a 30 per cent capacity with learning and teaching sessions conducted five times a week.
In ensuring that the students’ and staff safety is monitored, kindergarten centres must adhere to SOPs and guidelines.
He said the MoE through the Department of Private Education will monitor the implementation of the SOPs while ensuring that the school is prepared prior to opening for learning and teaching sessions.
As kindergarten students below the age of five have yet to be vaccinated, the minister advised parents to ensure their children’s safety by adhering to the SOPs.
“This includes kindergartens only being allowed to operate after passing the inspection and acquiring permission from the Department of Private Education under the MoE, parents and guardians must complete two doses of COVID-19 vaccination by showing the confirmation, they must have either green or yellow BruHealth code while kindergarten students will be required to undergo the ART test once a week with a negative result,” the minister said.
Only students with negative results are allowed to attend the premises while students aged three and above are required to wear a face mask.
The MoE sought the cooperation of parents and guardians as well as school leaders (kindergarten) to comply with the SOPs so that the learning and teaching sessions can operate smoothly.
