GEORGE TOWN: With the new school term starting in less than 10 days, parents and pupils are starting to get updates on the rules and standard operating procedures (SOP) in schools.

       SK Convent Green Lane headmistress Noor Azian Ahmat said parents have been told of basic details like the colours of shoes and socks, hairstyles, what books to buy, sports attire as well as where the drop-off and pick-up points are.

       “We even specify to parents where to pick up their kids if they are late and other such essential information.

       “We have done all this via the messaging application Telegram to make it easier for the parents and they can pose their questions there as well,” she said.

       Noor Azian noted that since the pandemic began, the school administration has been using online platforms to keep parents updated via chat groups.

       “We have one for the whole school and one for each class.

       “For Year One pupils this year, we have 137 children joining the school.

       “We will usually add the parents and caregivers into the group to keep them in the loop,” she explained.

       Noor Azian also said the school follows the instructions and SOP set by both the Health and Education Ministries.

       The new school year has also seen school buses being booked by parents.

       Lim Wei Yek, who operates a fleet of school buses here, said he only makes trips for secondary and international school students.

       He said his intake every year depends on the new Form One students.

       “As the Form Five students leave, the new batch for Form One replaces them,” he added.

       Lim also said he is still unsure about the school schedules as there may be the possibility of different groups alternating between studying at home and going to school physically.

       “We have around 60 to 70 buses but will not use all and only operate based on the number of students.

       “The new registrations for this year seem to be the same as last year, with around 40 to 50 Form One students needing our service,” he revealed.

       Lim said they are taking fewer students each trip due to the pandemic to ensure everyone’s safety.

       “And we are not sure about the routes for now. If not all the students are attending physical classes, then we will only operate 60% to 70% of our buses.

       “But if all the classes are physical, then we will run all our buses,” he said.

       The new school term starts on March 21 after the current three-week break ends.

       In the latest guidelines, pupils in Years Three, Four and Five in schools with an enrolment of over 600 pupils will attend classes on a rotational basis in the new school term.

       Those in Years One, Two and Six as well as those with special needs in SK Pendidikan Khas, Integrated Special Education Programme and Supplementary Food Programme will attend physical school sessions without rotation.

       The regulations also apply to students in private schools including expatriate and international schools.

       For secondary schools, all students will undergo home-based teaching and learning for two weeks starting March 21 and from April 4, all of them will start attending face-to-face classes.