PUTRAJAYA: Schools will reopen in stages on Oct 3 according to the phase they are in under the National Recovery Plan (PPN), Senior Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Radzi Jidin said.

In a media conference to announce the reopening of schools today, Radzi said the 2021 schooling session will be extended to March 2022 so that intervention among weak students can be carried out on the grounds that they have not attended classes for some time.

In addition, he said students will take turns to attend school, with attendance set at 50 per cent of the classroom capacity to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Radzi said all schools in Phase One of PPN, however, will remain closed and their students will continue with home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).

As for Phase Two states, special needs students will be allowed to attend school without any rotation while primary pupils will continue with PdPR.

He said for secondary students in Phase Two, only Form Six second semester students, third semester students of Sports Schools pre-university programmes and those taking international examinations will be allowed to attend school.