KEPALA BATAS: The Education Ministry is ready to implement home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) to reduce Klang Valley traffic congestion during the Asean Summits in May and October, says Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
She said the ministry is currently identifying the schools to be included in the programme during the summit.
"Discussions are indeed underway," she said after an event to kick-off the wearing of Jalur Gemilang on students’ uniforms at SMK Datuk Haji Ahmad Badawi here on Monday (April 21).
Fadhlina said reducing traffic congestion was a key issue being addressed and ensuring everything proceeds efficiently, adding that the ministry is prepared to accommodate the necessary requests.
Fadhlina was commenting on the proposal to allow work-from-home (WFH) and PdPR arrangements during the Asean Summits in May and October, raised by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Mohamad last Thursday said that the matter would be brought to the Cabinet, following the difficulties and constraints faced by the public, particularly in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, from road closures during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia.
He had also said the proposal could allow civil servants to work from home while schools conduct online lessons to reduce congestion and lessen the inconvenience to the public, especially in the Klang Valley.
During Xi's visit, several routes in the Klang Valley, including Putrajaya, were either fully closed or gradually diverted from April 15 to 17 to facilitate official movements.
Although the road closures were intended to ensure smooth logistics and security, and prior notices were issued, the situation still drew complaints from road users caught in severe traffic congestion.
On a separate matter, Fadhlina said the ministry will implement a standardised examination results system for admissions into Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) and Boarding Schools (SBP), next year.
"We take note of all types of examination entries for MRSM and SBP, and the matter will be standardised at the ministry and MRSM level," she said.
Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had reportedly said that applicants can apply to both educational institutions but will only receive one offer to avoid overlap.
Ahmad Zahid said that currently, applicants might receive two offers, especially students applying to MRSM and SBP. However, he said that in reality, MRSM usually issue the offer letter first, but upon receiving the offer from SBP, students tend to switch to the fully residential school.
