KUCHING, Dec 10: Students will return to school for the 2023/2024 session starting March 19 and 20 next year.
The schooling term will begin from March 19, 2023, to March 9, 2024, for schools in the Group A States, namely Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.
For schools in Group B States, namely, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Labuan, and Federal Territory of Putrajaya, the new school term will start on March 20, 2023, until March 10, 2024.
According to the Ministry of Education (MoE), the academic calendar was initially scheduled to begin on March 12 (Group A States) and March 13 (Group B States), but it was delayed to give way for the operation of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination to be carried out smoothly.
Despite the delay, the Ministry explained that the academic calendar for the 2023/2024 session was maintained in March 2023 to ensure compliance with the Education (Terms, Days and School Holidays) Regulations 1998 (Amendment) 2021, which stipulate that the number of school days in the academic calendar should not be less than 190 days.
“The MoE also took note of suggestions from several parties to return the start of the school session to January.
“The Ministry is of the view that this can be implemented by gradually shortening school holidays starting from 2023 until 2026 with compliance with the number of school days in the academic calendar.
“However, taking into account the welfare of teachers, students, and the impact on the national economy, the MoE decided to postpone this proposal to minimise the impact on the relevant parties,” the MoE said in a statement today.
The MoE also considered the various views received from stakeholders to avoid the SPM exams being held in November and December because they clash with the monsoon season.
“Conducting the SPM exam in the monsoon season can cause stress not only for the teachers and exam staff but also for the students and parents involved.
“When the SPM is held in February or March, the waiting period for the candidates concerned to enter the university will also be shorter.
“However, the MoE always looks at the need and suitability of preparing the academic calendar for the next year to ensure that the teaching and learning process can be carried out optimally,” it added.
The academic calendar for the 2023/2024 session may be downloaded through the MoE website. — DayakDaily
