By Adrian Lim
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3: The academic session for schools for 2021 will begin on January 20 next year.
According to national daily, The Star, Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Jidin said the postponement of the year-end examinations and the shorter year-end holiday breaks are taken into consideration in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He disclosed that the year-end holidays for schools in Sarawak, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Perlis, Pahang, Penang, Labuan and Putrajaya will have a 13-day holiday.
Mohd Radzi said the holidays for schools in Johor, Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu have been cut to 14 days from 42 days.
He explained that the schooling was extended this year as the Education Ministry wanted to make sure that schools could complete the syllabus for the students.
“The ministry could not announce the school calendar for 2021 without engaging with stakeholders.
“The ministry only prepared the school calendar and holidays after taking into consideration the effects of the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“Therefore, we would like to announce that the first term for 2021 in schools throughout the country will begin on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.
“The new date is much later than the usual dates when school starts, which means the school holidays will be longer,” he said in his winding up speech on the Royal address at Parliament today.
Mohd Radzi explained that the ministry had to take into account the Covid-19 pandemic in planning for the school calendar.
He opined that it would take more than a year for things to return back to normal post Covid-19.
Mohd Radzi added the Education Ministry was worried that students would not be able to cope with the syllabus for this year and will face greater challenges next year.
He asserted that if the students are unable to understand what they have learnt this year, they may feel being left out. —DayakDaily
