Teachers can return home from East Malaysia for school holiday

 

Teachers from Peninsular Malaysia who were teaching in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will be able to return home for the year-end school holiday, according to Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

"I will propose to the Education Ministry so it could discuss with the police to bring back the teachers for the long holiday. There is no need for them to (continue) staying at Sabah," he told a daily presser today.

"Individual teachers could also apply with the police so that they could return from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan," he said.

While the government has banned interstate travel during the conditional movement control order (CMCO), Ismail noted some exceptions, in particular for married individuals to travel back to their hometowns to reunite with their spouses.

All schools across the country affected by the CMCO were instructed to close, with teaching being conducted online. The year-end school holiday will begin on Dec 18 to Jan 19, 2021.

Last month, Sabah closed its borders to non-native except for those providing essential services, civil servants and students between Oct 12 and Oct 25.

Anyone who was in Sabah would be banned from leaving the state unless for emergencies or official duties and even then, only with permission from the police.

On another development, Ismail Sabri said the Tourism, Arts and Culture ministry mulled allowing interstate or inter-districts travel within green zones free from Covid-19, to promote domestic tourism, which was impacted severely by the economic fallout due to Covid-19.

"The tourism ministry came up with a few proposals (for our) consideration today. It proposed travels be allowed between two green zones," he said.

Ismail Sabri, however, the government instructed several ministries to brainstorm and figure out the implementation on the ground.

"For instance, how about the people in Sabak Bernam, green zone travel to another green zone in Langkawi? Does this only involve interstate travel or inter-districts travel? What about the permission of the police?" he said.  - Mkini