KUCHING, June 11 — The Sarawak government is making arrangements to bring back 2,664 teachers from West Malaysia to their respective schools here, state Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Sri Michael Manyin said today.
He said the teachers are unable to come back to their respective schools before June 9 due to the limited number of flights from their home states to Sarawak.
“They went back to their home states during the school holidays and now they are unable to come back due to flight problems,” he told reporters.
He said the state government has requested Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is in charge of the Sarawak volunteers’ group, to make arrangements for these teachers to return to their respective schools.
He said over 400 of them are Form 5 and Upper 6 teachers.
“All these teachers are supposed to report for duties at their respective schools on June 9 to prepare for their Form 5 and Upper 6 classes on June 24,” Manyin said.
“But I believe that by June 24, they will be able to come because the state government has allowed full capacity for all flights from Kuala Lumpur to come to the state,” he said.
He said teachers, regardless of whether they teach Form 5 or Upper 6 classes, are required by the federal Ministry of Education to report for duties at their respective schools on June 9.
He said, as required by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee, all teachers from Peninsular Malaysia will need to be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival in the state.
Manyin said teachers who are serving in urban schools will be issued with a 14-day stay home notice while those posted to the rural schools will be put in designated hotels as quarantine centres for 14 days.
He added the state government will bear the cost of hotel accommodation.
“So I want to tell the parents that they need not worry because the state government will make sure that these teachers are free from Covid-19 infection.
“They will be properly quarantined, tested and screened to ensure that they are free of Covid-19,” he added.
Manyin said not all Form 5 and Upper 6 classes can start on June 24 as the date set by the federal Ministry of Education.
He said only schools with the relevant teachers can start their classes.
He said 34,306 students are in Form 5 classes and 6,782 in Upper 6 classes in Sarawak.
He added they have to complete their syllabus by early next year in time for their delayed examinations in February 2021.
He said also teachers need to finish their syllabus before the students can sit for their examinations.
