Norliza (left) handing out containers of savoury porridge to drivers during Johorfm’s Drive-Thru Bubur Lambuk programme at Johor RTM in Johor Baru.
ALL schools affected by the Johor floods, including those that were used as temporary relief centres, are now operating as usual.
Johor education, information and communication committee chairman Norliza Noh said physical classes had resumed and students were no longer having online lessons.
“Online classes went on for about two weeks before students were able to return to school and have classes,” she said.
“There were some schools that were damaged due to the floods and they are in the process of being repaired.
“We are getting them fixed as soon as possible and hope that the repairs will be completed after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.”
Norliza said this to reporters when met during Johorfm’s Drive-Thru Bubur Lambuk programme at Johor RTM in Johor Baru.
She added that the state government had allocated RM500,000 for the repairs of affected schools statewide.
“We will focus on schools that were the worst affected first. If there is a need, more allocations will be given later,” she said.
It was previously reported that 52 schools in Johor were hit by the floods in March this year, while 187 were used as temporary relief centres.
Apart from the RM500,000 allocation from the Johor government, the Education Ministry had also allocated RM2.36mil for repairs and maintenance work to be carried out at the affected schools.
On a separate matter, Norliza said that she was keeping tabs on the Dual Language Programme (DLP) issue in Johor, which had led to a protest at a Tamil school last month.
“The issue is still being reviewed by the Johor Education Department and I am being updated on this matter.
“We hope that this issue can be resolved as soon as possible,” said Norliza, adding that she would continue monitoring the matter.
Introduced in 2016, the DLP gives schools the option to teach Science, Mathematics, information technology, communication as well as design and technology in English or Bahasa Malaysia.
The Star reported on March 26 that hundreds of students from five Tamil schools in Johor were in limbo after they were told that the DLP would only be available in one class for each school starting this year.
A group of parents from SJK(T) Jalan Yahya Awal in Johor staged a demonstration in protest of the DLP classes being reduced at the school.
