IPOH, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Education (MOE) is making early preparations to ensure schools are operationally ready for the intake of Year One pupils under the ‘double cohort’ situation next year.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the ‘double cohort’ involves the simultaneous enrolment of six- and seven-year-old children into Year One, and that the ministry has begun early planning, including school operations, teacher placement and classroom facilities.
He said the MOE will monitor the number of six-year-olds registering after March 31 to determine actual needs at the school level, while giving parents sufficient time to make informed decisions.
“This issue is a concern for all parties, but MOE planning has started early, particularly in terms of teacher availability and facilities at schools nationwide.
“Under the MADANI Government, teacher placement rates have increased from 95 per cent to over 97 per cent across all types of schools, including national schools, Chinese-medium and Tamil-medium schools,” he told a press conference after a working visit to Yuk Choy High School (SUWA) near here today.
Wong said the ministry is in discussions with the Education Service Commission (SPP) to increase teacher recruitment, including interim measures while awaiting the training of new teachers, which typically takes up to five years through the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG).
He said the MOE is also identifying schools facing classroom shortages, particularly overcrowded schools, and will construct additional classrooms using the Industrialised Building System (IBS).
“With the modular IBS method, additional classrooms can be completed within four to five months, compared with conventional construction, which takes two to three years. This approach has proven effective, such as in Cyberjaya,” he said.
On the number of schools affected by classroom shortages, Wong said the ministry is still assessing actual needs before announcing any final figures.
“We have data on overcrowded schools, but schools that were previously not overcrowded also need to be reassessed to ensure facilities remain adequate,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
