KUCHING (Jan 20): Schools reopened today but only for Form Five and Six students, who are due to sit for public examinations which were postponed since last year.
Based on the monitoring conducted at two schools namely SMK St Mary and SMK St Thomas here at around 7am this morning, the students were seen to have adapted to the new norms and adhering to the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) when entering the schools.
The students were seen entering the compound of the schools wearing face masks and practicing physical distancing when asked to wash their hands at the wash basin nearby before having their body temperature taken.
All of these procedures were supervised by the teachers of the schools.
Comments from the school principals were not available, as only the Education Department Sarawak is allowed to make comments.
Last year’s Form Five and Six students who were supposed to be sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations were among the first batch of students who were allowed to go back to school to prepare for their exams.
At the same time, all teachers teaching Form Five and Six students were required to return to their work stations before Jan 20. For 2020 Form Five and Six students who are attending lessons now, they will have face-to-face lessons with their teachers in a traditional classroom setting.
Those who were allowed to be present in schools were only students that would be sitting for the 2020 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM), Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM), Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) and Diploma Vokasional Malaysia (DVM) as well as other international level exams certified by the ministry.
Meanwhile, all primary school students and secondary students from Form 1 to Form 5 are undergoing virtual teaching and learning from home (PdPR) according to the suitability between teachers and students beginning today.