KEPALA BATAS: Four schools in Seberang Perai Utara including a primary school, were damaged by a storm late on Thursday (April 30) night.
Penang Education director Mohamad Dziauddin Mat Saad said the schools involved were Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Datuk Haji Abdul Kadir and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Hashim Awang in Kepala Batas, as well as SMK Gemilang and SMK Permatang Tok Jaya in Butterworth.
He said the worst-hit school was SMK Datuk Haji Abdul Kadir, where the roof of a block housing five classrooms was torn off by strong winds, causing structural damage to the first-floor section of the building.
Meanwhile, the other schools sustained only minor damage involving certain rooms, which will not affect teaching sessions as repair works can be carried out soon.
"What is most important is the students' safety, and thankfully, the incident occurred after school hours.
"Over the next three days until Sunday, we will focus on clean-up works to ensure that students returning to the hostel on Sunday are safe and that schooling can proceed smoothly on Monday," he told reporters here on Friday.
Earlier, he inspected SMK Haji Abdul Kadir to assess the damage, together with Bertam state assemblyman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
Mohamad Dziauddin said a discussion had been held with the school, and the principal had identified several rooms, such as laboratories and workshops, to be used as temporary classrooms for the five affected classes involving about 230 Form Two students.
He added that the school would also brief students upon their return on Monday before arranging their placement in the temporary classes.
Meanwhile, Reezal Merican said the storm that hit Kepala Batas on Thursday caused various damages to private premises as well as educational institutions, and initial assistance had been arranged for those affected.
He said it is estimated that more than 90 houses, including business premises, schools, a hospital and a fire station in Kepala Batas, were affected by the storm and strong winds that struck at around 6pm Thursday, with most of the damage involving roofs being blown off. - Bernama
