MOE to scrap rotation system for primary schools when the time is right

JOHOR BAHRU: The Ministry of Education (MOE) will not wait until the country achieves 100 per cent vaccination rate for children to scrap the rotation system for face to face sessions at primary schools.

Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said the decision was made after taking into account the government's plan to move the country into an endemic phase.

"We will discuss with the Ministry of Health (MOH)...(even) if the vaccine take-up rate does not increase, for how long do we need to implement the rotation system?

"When the time is right, we will scrap the rotation system (for schools) with an enrolment of more than 600 pupils," he told reporters after a briefing session on the Perikatan Nasional's (PN) Pledge for the Johor state election, here today.

He said this when asked to comment whether the ministry would set a certain target under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) to stop the implementation of the rotation system for primary schools.

Radzi had previously announced that Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils at schools with an enrolment of more than 600 pupils could attend classes on a rotational basis for the 2022/2023 academic session which would begin on March 21.

Meanwhile, he said the MOE was committed to ensuring that more students could attend physical classes as usual and providing a safe environment for them.

"We are working closely with the MOH to facilitate the vaccination process for children aged 5 to 11 years," he said.

-- BERNAMA