Schools, educational institutions to open Jan 20, IPT March 1 - PM Muhyiddin
BERNAMA
31/12/2020
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 -- All educational institutions under the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be opened on Jan 20 according to the scheduled academic calendar, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
For private and international educational institutions registered with the MOE, it is subject to their respective academic calendar in addition to following the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the National Security Council (MKN).
The prime minister said for students of institutions of higher learning (IPT) in the peninsula, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) allows local students to return to campus in phases as early as March 1.
"For IPT in Sabah and Sarawak, student admission is subject to the procedures adopted by the respective state governments," he said when delivering his New Year message for 2021 aired on television channels tonight.
Based on the previously announced School Term and School Holiday Calendar 2021, the start of the face-to-face school sessions on that date involves primary and secondary school students (Form 1, Form 4, Form 5 and Form 6) as well as all Vocational College students.
Form 2 and Form 3 students will start school sessions on the same date through home-based learning and return to school for face-to-face learning sessions on March 8, 2021.
On the COVID-19 vaccine, Muhyiddin once again gave a guarantee that it would be effective, safe and sufficient for at least 80 per cent of the people of this country and given for free.
He said the National COVID-19 Immunisation Plan would be implemented by the Ministry of Health (MOH) through three phases starting as early as Feb 2021.
The prime minister said he and the frontliners would be among the first to receive the vaccine to prove that it is safe and effective.
"High-risk groups such as the elderly and patients with non-communicable diseases (NCD) including heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease will also be given priority in receiving vaccine injections," he said.
Muhyiddin said the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency would still monitor the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.
He also reminded that the vaccination programme is only a precautionary measure, however, the SOP set still needs to be adhered to at all times.
