Floods keep 31 Terengganu schools closed on first day of school

File photo of children on the first day of school in Kuala Lumpur. About 12,000 children in Terengganu missed their first day of school because of floods.

KUALA TERENGGANU, Jan 1 — Thirty-one schools in Terengganu remained closed today due to the second wave of floods which hit the state yesterday, and kept about 12,000 schoolchildren away from their first school day of the new year. 

Twenty-three of them are primary schools and the remaining eight, secondary schools, said State Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology and Human Resource Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman. 

Thirteen of the schools are located in the Hulu Terengganu district, 12 in the Besut district and three each in the Kemaman and Setiu districts, he said.

Some of the schools are flooded, some are cut off by floods, some are being used as relief centres and some are being cleaned.

Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Lubuk Periok, SK Tengku Ampuan Intan, Sekolah Menengah Agama (SMA) Mahmudiah and Sekolah Menengah Imtiaz Kuala Berang, all in Hulu Terengganu, and SK Pasir Akar, SK Tok Raja, SK Bukit Jerok, SK Alor Keladi, SK Kampung Nangka, SK Tok Dor and SK Keruak, all in Besut, remained flooded, said Ahmad Razif.

He spoke to reporters after calling on new Standard One pupils at SK Tok Jembal here which opened today for the new school year. Also present was Terengganu deputy director of education Hashim Mohd Zin. 

Ahmad Razif said SK Anak Ikan in Setiu and SK Seri Payong and SK Tenang in Besut were being used as flood relief centres. 

Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Mentok in Kemaman was being cleaned after having been used as a flood relief centre, he said.

He named the schools cut off by floodwaters as SK Kuar, SK Felda Tersat, SK Bukit Taduk, SK Matang, SK Tengkawang, SMK Menerong, SMK Matang and SMK Jenerih, all in Hulu Terengganu; SK Padang Kubu and SK RKT Seberang Tayor in Kemaman; SK Pak Ba and SK Sungai Las in Setiu; and SMK Bukit Payong and SMK Putera in Besut.

“As of now, we are not certain when these schools will reopen. We hope the second wave of floods will recede soon. The schools will have to hold replacement classes on a Saturday,” he said.

Ahmad Razif said parents could contact the respective schools or the district education offices to find out when the schools would reopen.

Meanwhile, Hashim said 19,878 pupils had registered to attend Standard One from today at 350 schools in the state. — Bernama