ALOR SETAR: They have grown taller and chubbier and it shows.

       Schoolchildren in Kedah returning to classrooms yesterday looked a little unusual, with their trousers ending well above their ankles, shirt buttons stretched around their tummies and complaints of their shoes being a tad too tight.

       Nurse Rashidah Riduan, 41, said two of her sons in primary school were eager to go back to school in their uniforms even though their clothes were tight.

       “Today is the first day they are going to school this year,” she said, adding that one son was in Year One and the other in Year Four.

       Rashidah said she would decide later if she should get them new sets or let them put on casual wear, which is allowed by the Education Ministry.

       Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said the ministry would allow students to wear their own clothes to school this year, as long as their attire was proper and neat. This year’s school term ends in mid-December.

       Asst Supt Wan Norawiha Wan Endut, 41, was amazed at how quickly her eight-year-old son had out grown his uniform, which she had bought early this year.

       “This morning, I told him to wear his school physical education T-shirt. I need to buy new pants for him, too.

       “His shoes are also tight so he wore ordinary shoes. I don’t know if schools will be closed again or not, so I can’t decide when to buy new uniforms for him,” she said.

       Teacher Mohd Hazman Abdul Aziz, 40, was glad that when he bought two sets of uniforms for his 12-year-old son late last year, one of the sets was a size larger. So he will be wearing that since there will only be a few more weeks before school ends again,” he said.

       He added that it was hard for his son to get up early in the morning after months of not being in school physically.

       State Education Department director Rozaini Ahmad said 251,012 primary and secondary school students went to their classrooms in 752 schools by rotation starting yesterday.

       This comprised 154,214 pupils in 548 primary schools from Years One to Six, and 96,798 secondary school students in Remove class and Forms One to Four.

       Schools in Kedah, Penang, Perlis and Perak fully reopened with students attending physical and online classes by rotation under Phase Four of the National Recovery Plan.

       Physical classes are being held until the year-end at half their previous capacities.