KUCHING: The Ministry of Education (MoE) should minimise the number of school breaks and the length of holidays.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said this when asked to comment on the ministry’s schedule for school vacations and holidays.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted our children’s education. On numerous occasions, the SOPs implemented by KKM have prevented kids from attending school.
“In truth, the year 2020 was a complete waste of school time, especially for rural students who did not have access to the internet.
“Unless we can stop Covid-19, the year 2021 will be a pale imitation of the year 2020 in terms of our children’s schooling,” said Masing.
He urged the MoE to act immediately on the issue of the number of school breaks and vacations and to re-adjust the holiday calendar.
“The MoE must develop means to compensate for the time wasted as a result of covid19. The ministry cannot continue to have three school breaks per year, including public holidays, as it has in the past.
“That is why I am disappointed to learn that the MoE continues to act as if we are in normal times. Thus, when scheduled holidays appear on the MoE calendar, they are observed.
“Our children’s education will be hampered for years unless the MoE learns to adapt to a new way of thinking as a result of Covid-19,” said Masing.
