PUTRAJAYA: Densely-populated places like Klang, Selangor, and several areas in Johor, are on the priority list for new schools to be built, says Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin.
He said the ministry was looking for suitable locations in these areas to build schools as it was facing difficulty in getting land for such projects.
“Klang, for example, is among the most densely-populated areas, and some schools with an enrolment of 4,000 students have to conduct two sessions – morning and afternoon.
“Various efforts have been made to set up new schools in these places. But in areas with a high population density, the main constraint is the lack of suitable land,” he said after performing the ground-breaking ceremony for a project to build an additional block and field for SK Putrajaya Presint 18(2) and opening the 10th general meeting of its Parent-Teacher Association here yesterday.
According to him, an average of 10 new schools were built each year, Bernama reported.
On another matter, Radzi said the ministry would look into complaints that the primary school curriculum was too difficult, making it hard for pupils to master certain subjects.
He said the primary and secondary school curricula would be reviewed later, as the first cycle of the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR) would be completed this year, while the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah (KSSR) ended last year.
“In this context, during the review later, we will see whether the issue is really about the curricula being too complex or a case of lack of familiarity,” he said.
Asked on the influenza-like illness cluster involving a secondary boarding school in Selangor, Radzi said the ministry would hold further discussions with the Health Ministry today to ensure it was safe for students to attend this school.
