MELAKA, Sept 8 — The construction of additional classrooms using the Industrialised Building System (IBS) will enable special rooms currently used as temporary teaching and learning spaces to resume their original functions, said Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.
He said the move would help ease overcrowding while enabling schools to make better use of their existing facilities.
“Some schools have had to convert special rooms, including music rooms and laboratories, into classrooms.
“With this construction, the special rooms can once again be used for their intended purposes,” he told reporters after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Taman Merdeka here today.
According to Wong, 53 schools in Melaka had benefited from the construction of additional classrooms using IBS, 49 of which had more than 35 students per class.
He said three schools in the Kesidang state constituency, namely SK Malim, SK Taman Merdeka and SK Tengkera 1, had received a total allocation of RM3.3 million to construct 11 additional classrooms under the initiative, with completion expected by December 2026.
“The additional classroom construction projects at the three schools are currently around 40 per cent complete and are expected to be completed before the 2027 school session begins,” he said.
Commenting on the double-cohort intake for Year One in the 2027 school session, Wong said 416,632 pupils had so far registered in the seven-year-old cohort, while 73,487 had registered in the six-year-old cohort.
On teacher readiness, he said the Ministry of Education (MOE) had taken several measures, including placing Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) graduates this year, appointing reserve candidates for critical options and recruiting teachers on a Contract of Service (COS) basis.
“A total of 3,150 people have already been appointed and are ready for placement in schools according to future needs,” he said.
On the haze issue, Wong said the MOE has clear guidelines on school activities based on the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading.
He said all outdoor activities would be suspended if the API reading exceeds 100, while schools would be closed and online learning implemented if it exceeds 200.
“However, the MOE also takes into account parents’ concerns about their children’s health. If parents are still worried, they can choose not to send their children to school. That is the parents’ choice,” he said. — Bernama
Date: 8 September, 2026 2:09 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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