SEGAMAT: More than 300 schools in the country have been affected by floods, including some that were scheduled to open yesterday for the third term in Group A.

       Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin said these schools were either inundated, serving as temporary flood evacuation centre (PPS) or were in the process of being cleaned up.

       He said schools which could not open according to schedule were expected to start their schooling term next week.

       “Some schools which are not ready are in Sabah, Pahang and Selangor.

       “Information on the status of schools would be updated by the district education office from time to time,” he told reporters after inspecting the clean-up work at SK Pulau Paya, which was affected by floods, here yesterday.

       The third term of the 2021/2022 school session started yesterday for schools in Group A states while those in Group B states resume classes today.

       Group A covers Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, while Group B comprises Selangor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

       The term was initially scheduled to start on Jan 2 for schools in Group A states and Jan 3 for those in Group B states but was postponed due to the country’s current flood situation.

       According to Bernama, Mohamad said he hoped all parties would assist in cleaning up schools to ensure that the schooling session proceeded according to plan.

       He added that 46 schools in Johor were being used as PPS.

       These include 15 in Segamat, 13 in Tangkak, Muar (seven), Mersing (four), three each in Kota Tinggi and Batu Pahat as well as one in Kluang following floods since the start of the year.

       He also explained that the ministry would not burden students who could not attend school due to the floods and would give them time to recover.

       Mohamad said more than 14,000 students affected by the floods were allowed to wear normal clothes to school and the Education Ministry also guaranteed sufficient supply of textbooks to replace more than 260,000 textbooks damaged by the floods.