11 schools to remain closed due to floods

Sekolah Kebangsaan Getang flooded.

HULU TERENGGANU: The second day of the new school term today will see 11 schools in Terengganu remain closed due to floods.

A total of 1,708 students and teachers are affected by the closure.

State Education Department di­­rec­tor Shafruddin Ali Hussin said out of the 11, eight were in Hulu Terengganu while the rest were in Setiu.

On Saturday, Shafruddin announ­ced that 25 schools in Terengganu would not be able to start its first day of classes.

“Parents will be informed on the status of schools affected by the flood at about 3pm daily.

“We have a special squad to monitor the floods and all information will be passed down to the department.

“Based on all information, the department decided that the 11 schools will stay closed until further notice,” he said.

At SK Sentol Patah, Marang, parents and teachers were among those who cleaned up the school in a gotong-royong after water receded.

In Kuala Berang, Bernama reported that 32 pupils of SK Getang had to return home early at 10am when their class was inundated after Sungai Telemong burst its banks.

Headmistress Hayati Osman said she had not expected the water to rise rapidly and enter the classrooms.

“We had to move the pre-school pupils and the special education pupils to the hall and canteen while the others were placed in the double-storey building which was not flooded,” she told reporters yesterday.

Hayati said in less than an hour, water from the river had rose to waist level.

“When I saw the situation had deteriorated, I telephoned the district education officer to inform him about the incident and later called the guardians of the pre-school pu­­pils to fetch their children,” she said.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon said the Government would consider keeping schools closed in flood-hit areas until further notice.

“We will advise them accordingly once reports come in,” he told re­­por­­ters in Subang, Selangor, yesterday after launching the World Dra­gon and Lion Dance Extrava­ganza.