Over 500,000 Sabah students resume physical school session

KOTA KINABALU: A total of 536,395 students resumed their third term session for 2021/2022 in schools yesterday in 1,075 primary and 218 secondary schools in Sabah, said state Education director Datuk Dr Mistirine Radin.

This involved a total of 320,912 primary and 215,483 secondary students.

She said, however, the resumption of school was postponed for 169 students from three schools, namely Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Penontomon in Pensiangan, SK Pantai Boring in Beluran, and SK Lago in Beaufort because they were still hit by floods or receding floods or in the process of being cleaned up.

Mistirine said a total of 69 students were subjected to the postponement in SK Penontomon, SK Pantai Boring (85 students) and SK Lago (15 students).

"Students (in schools whose operations have been postponed) will follow the Home-based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) online method beginning today (Jan 10) until the schools are cleaned up as well as safe to be reopened," she said in a statement.

She said 38 private schools, under the Education Ministry in the state began school sessions yesterday involving 7,149 students – 1,075 from 18 primary schools and 6,074 from 20 secondary schools.

Meanwhile, Form 2 student Atif Isfahan Ramzi, 14, of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Pekan Telipok, Tuaran, said he was excited to attend face-toface schooling though he was a bit anxious to learn the results of his exams taken before the school holidays.

"It is no problem to go back into Form 2 and go into Form 3 a little later as there is still time to catch-up with Form 2 work," he said.