Return to campuses after Raya not disrupted by MCO
Varsity students who went home for Hari Raya celebrations are allowed to return to campuses according to the dates agreed upon earlier.
The Higher Education Ministry said this will be done according to the standard operating procedures and clearance letters issued by their respective institutions for students to cross states and districts.
The dates for students to head home were from May 7 to 12 and they are scheduled to return to campus between May 15 and 20.
This comes as the movement control order came into effect from Wednesday.
“The movement of lecturers and teaching staff for teaching and learning (PdP) purposes will also be allowed with confirmation from the ministry or their respective higher education institutions (HEI).
“The National Security Council Technical Committee Meeting on May 11 decided that all HEIs under the ministry’s purview will continue PdP online during the MCO period from May 12 to June 7.
“All face-to-face PdP are not allowed except for the six categories of students.
“International examinations, professional bodies and research activities that require laboratory facilities in HEIs are also allowed according to the HEIs SOPs,” it said in a statement yesterday.
The ministry also said in a circular issued on May 9 to all HEIs that students’ return to their hometowns was not disrupted by the MCO.
In the circular, it said that HEIs would provide clearance letters for students to cross states and districts, as well as coordinate students’ movement home and back to their respective campuses.
“The ministry has several control mechanisms in place where students’ movement in each HEI is implemented in phases to ensure their movement is controlled.
“Students are also given the choice of either returning to their home or staying on campus during the festive holiday.
“As of May 8, a total of 36,260 students have returned home through the three methods – using their own vehicles, parents picking them up or using buses arranged by the respective institutions.
“All HEI students are required to adhere to the standard operating procedure at all times during the festive season to prevent exposure to Covid-19,” it said.
In the ministry’s announcement on April 29, it said a total of 103,994 students who were on campus would be returning to their hometown.