Year Four pupils upset because school is closed

Missing school: (From left) Nur Aleeya Maisarah, Shahrul Huzaini and Mohd Huzaifah were disappointed when told their school had to be closed due to floods.

HULU TERENGGANU: While many children would be happy that their schools were closed because of the floods, one girl wished that her school was open.

Year Four pupil Nur Aleeya Maisarah Zamri said she couldn’t wait to go to school yesterday because she wanted to learn English.

She said her school, SK Kampung Lubuk Periok, is the only place she could learn English from her teachers and to talk with her friends.

She also wanted to meet them after the long year-end holiday.

“I want to learn more about English. We don’t converse in the language at all at home. So this is the only place I can do it.

“Since I started trying to speak English, the subject has now become one of my favourites,” she said.

Her good friends and classmates Mohd Huzaifah Zaki and Shahrul Huzaini Tarzan missed being surrounded by their teachers and friends as well.

Mohd Huzaifah was sad when their school had to be closed due to floods.

“I was excited about going back to school especially after not seeing my friends and teachers. I was actually sad when I was told that I would have to postpone going to school,” he said.

Shahrul Huzaifah also agreed with his friends. He was also excited to put on his new school uniform and bring his new bag to school.

Yesterday, about 10 pupils turned up at SK Matang.

However, they appeared sad when told that their classes were cancelled, said headmaster Mohd Nor Abd Hadi.

“They were all in their new uniforms and bags,” he said when met while cleaning up the school compound.

The two schools were among the 25 schools which had to cancel the first day of classes on Sunday after State Education Department director Shafruddin Ali Hussin made the announcement on Saturday following a heavy downpour the day before which resulted in floods.

However, yesterday, he said that all schools in Terengganu, except for three primary schools, would operate as usual today.

The three schools affected by the floods were SK Kampung Sungai Las, SK Kampung Besut (both in Setiu) and SK Getang here.

SK Tengkawang headmaster Suhaimi Wahab said he and the school staff were caught off guard after the tables which were rearranged for the 2017 school session were damaged.

“It rained heavily on Friday, but our school was not affected. So Saturday morning we decided to arrange all the tables and chairs including other equipment after a meeting.

“But on Saturday night, the floods came after heavy rain, causing water to rise to more than a metre high in the school. All the furniture was damaged,” he added.