In-person education partially resumes in Malaysia

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Malaysia resumed in-person education for students of preschool to Grade 2 on Monday, after nearly two months of closure due to spikes in COVID-19 cases.

Students in grades 3-6 will return to school next week, while middle schools will begin face-to-face education on April 4 in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, and April 5 in other states.

International schools and private educational institutions will also reopen next week.

The Education Ministry also provided guidance to students in its congratulatory message posted on its Facebook page. "Make sure you wear a face mask, keep physical distance, and always wash your hands with water and soap or use a hand sanitizer," it said.

Earlier, the ministry distributed the School Reopening Management Guidelines and Models for Pupil Control to all schools nationwide.

The procedures for entering the school gate, while at school, and returning home are all included in the guidelines.

Malaysia has so far recorded over 302,580 COVID-19 cases, including 1,135 related deaths and 275,903 recoveries.

*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services in Jakarta