KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — Floods in Terengganu early last month do not affect the new schooling session when all 19 affected schools reopened as usual today.

Terengganu Education director Zakaria Husin said the inundated schools had been cleaned before the school session started. “The schools were cleaned up.

Their furniture, damaged textbooks and other educational tools have been replaced,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after accompanying State Education, Higher Education, Innovation and Special Functions Committee chairman Ghazali Taib to visit a handicapped pupil at SK Kuala Telemong here, today.           

He said 17,481 pupils entered Year One at 350 primary schools and 21,923 Form One students started their schooling sessions at 143 secondary schools.

Of the total, 426 students, who were holders of cards for the handicapped, as they had physical defects, were starting mainstream school classes this year.

The number of Special education students experiencing impaired vision and with special needs was 2,293 (primary school) and 1,304 (secondary school).

Zakaria also announced the opening of a new school this year, namely, Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengir, near Manir, here.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that all schooling sessions, including in states inundated by flood, would start as scheduled, namely, today in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah, and tomorrow for the other states. 

Muhyiddin, who is also the education minister, added that the schooling session in Sarawak, which starts tomorrow, could be postponed temporarily if the floods there worsened.

In Alor Setar, Kedah education director Mansor Lat said 33,467 pupils entered Year One at 543 primary schools in the state, an increase of 2,222 compared to 2013.         

He said 27,969 pupils were registered at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK), 3,842 pupils at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SKJC) and 1,656 pupils at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT).

He said there were 36,328 Form One students registered at 185 schools, an increase of 4,272 students compared to last year.

Mansor said a new primary school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Laguna, Merbok was opened in the Kuala Muda district while two new secondary schools Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Jerlun and SMK Taman Ria were opened in the Kubang Pasu and the Kuala Muda districts, respectively.

“The three schools start operating today,” he told reporters when acompanying Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan on a visit to SJKT Barathy here today.

In Kota Baru, 25,672 Year One pupils and 32,910 Form One students started their school sessions at 418 primary schools and 173 secondary schools.

State education director Hussain Awang said the study session went smoothly as the registration was held before school was reopened.

“The process of registration and distribution of books were carried out two

days before school reopened, and this saved time and did not affect study time,” he said when contacted.

A total 15,525 pre-school pupils also started schooling today in 655 classrooms.

“This is a government programme for six-year-old children of low income families. Every school set aside two to three classrooms for the purpose,” he added.

Meanwhile in Johor Baru, 56,265 Year One pupils registered at 903 schools while 49,168 Form One students and 8,316 Remove Class students registered at 271 secondary schools.

Johor Education Director, Mohd. Nor A.Ghani, said the 2014 schooling session in Johor began today following the change in the weekend from Saturday to Friday beginning this year. — Bernama