Education Ministry allocates RM50 mln to schools for flood repairs

NIBONG TEBAL: The Education Ministry (MOE) has allocated RM50 million to repair and restore schools affected and damaged by floods.

Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry was waiting for a complete report from the state education department and the district education department regarding the damage sustained by schools.

"The ministry does have allocation for maintenance of schools affected by floods, especially in Terengganu and Kelantan and so far, 287 schools have been hit by floods throughout the country but I'm still waiting for the exact total," the Nibong Tebal MP told reporters after meeting Nibong Tebal residents at the parliamentary constituency service centre here today.

She also said that the ministry would discuss with the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) regarding schools used as flood relief centres to find alternatives and whether there was a need to delay the school session for flood-hit areas.

She added that the school session for states or areas unaffected by floods would continue as scheduled, Jan 2 for Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu, and Jan 3 for other states.

"The welfare and safety of teachers, students and other school staff are the ministry's priorities, and unaffected states will stick to the original schedule while we will discuss with NADMA about possibly delaying the school session and alternative plans for affected states and schools that are acting as relief centres that do not show a drop in evacuees by Jan 3.

"Currently there are 241 schools being used as relief centres throughout the country due to floods and we at the ministry have a special operations room to monitor and check on flood issues daily," she added.

-- BERNAMA