Radzi: Students not taking SPM and returned home for CNY holiday are not allowed to return to hostel

In a video posted on Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin’s Facebook page, he had announced that students from non-examination classes who went home for the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday will not be allowed to return to their hostel for classes.

Instead, they will continue their lessons through home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).

Radzi said this was done to protect the students who will soon be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination this year from the Covid-19 infection.

“We will continue to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures (SOP) in boarding schools, in particular, can be improved. The Education Ministry (MoE) has also stepped up monitoring in schools to ensure all SOPs can be complied with and can reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection,” he said.

Meanwhile, he has also responded to the increase in Covid-19 cases in the education sector that recorded a cumulative 118,238 cases recorded from 1 January to 1 February this year. He said that of the total, 8,451 cases (7.15%) were related to education clusters, while the remaining 109,787 (92.85%) involved other clusters.

“In total, there are 303 clusters nationwide and from these clusters, 100 clusters or 33% involve educational institutions under MoE, while 86 clusters or 28.38% involve institutions, not under the MoE.”

“The 100 clusters at institutions under the MoE involved a total of 5,494 cases, and out of these 100 clusters, 96 clusters involved institutions under the MoE, while four clusters are private institutions registered under the MoE,” he said.

Radzi added that out of 96 clusters involving institutions under the MoE, a total of 84 clusters involved boarding institutions, comprising 76 clusters from hostels and eight clusters from fully-residential institutions.

“If we take into account the total boarding institutions under the MoE, which is 1,918 institutions, these 84 clusters are equivalent to 4.38% of the total boarding institutions under the MoE,” he added.

As for non-boarding institutions, 12 clusters were recorded. Of which, 2 clusters were from secondary schools and 10 clusters from primary schools.

“If we look at these 12 clusters and compare with the total 8,356 non-boarding institutions under the MoE, the total 12 clusters is equivalent to 0.14 per cent of the total,” he added.