By Karen Bong
KUCHING, April 3: Sibu students will take turn to attend physical classes for the next four weeks as schools are scheduled to be fully reopened starting Monday (April 5).
Assistant Minister for Local Government and Housing Dr Annuar Rapaee in giving an update on full schools reopening emphasised that this measure was taken to limit crowding at any one time and curb Covid-19 transmission in schools even though daily cases have been on a downward trend in Sibu of late.
For primary schools, students in Year Four, Five and Six have been scheduled to attend physical classes on alternate days of Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while students in pre-school, Year One, Two and Three will have classes on Tuesday and Thursday.
For secondary schools, students in Form Four, Five and Six will be allowed to return to schools for physical classes everyday.
Students in Transition Class and Form Three have been scheduled to attend classes on first and third week, while students in Form One and Two on second and fourth weeks.
“With these schedules, students especially those with low resources will at least have the opportunity for instructional hours to catch up on their studies as we understand many students are impacted,” he said in a live Facebook session today.
Dr Annuar, who is also Nangka assemblyman, pointed out that this measure or schedules will be reviewed at the end of the fourth week by taking into account the Covid-19 situation in Sibu.
“I hope students and parents will understand and bear with us for a little while longer,” he urged.
Elaborating, he added that class teachers will form a WhatsApp group to update and communicate with students and parents including their health status.
“This needed to be done as there were cases where students were contacts to positive case but unknowingly at that time had attended schools before being sent to the quarantine centre,” he explained.
In addition, Dr Annuar informed that all co-curricular or after-school activities will not be allowed and must be postponed for the next one month.
Meanwhile, a total of 223 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students in Sibu who missed the examinations due to Covid-19 previously have been scheduled to take the exams from April 6 to 23.
“This is the last chance for the SPM students or else they will not be able to obtain their certificates and will be forced to sit for the exams only next year.
“So to ensure they can sit for the exams, if there are candidates found positive (of Covid-19 during the exams period), a special area will be prepared for them to sit for their exams either in hospital or quarantine centre,” he assured. — DayakDaily
