Schools affected by Asean Summit should be granted occasional holiday, says PIBGN

The Star

16-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Several schools located near the venue of the Asean Summit 2025 should be granted an occasional holiday to ensure the smooth running of the regional event, as well as to ensure the safety and comfort of all parties involved.
The National Parents and Teachers Association Council (PIBGN) president, associate professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Ali Hasan, stated that granting this occasional holiday was not only practical for traffic and logistics management, but also provides relief to parents and teachers who do not have to face traffic congestion.
"The Asean Summit usually involves many activities that alter routes and traffic, with the surrounding areas likely to be under strict control. Therefore, granting an occasional holiday helps to avoid traffic congestion that could cause students to be late or caught in dangerous situations, in addition to providing comfort to students and teachers," he told Bernama.
He said that the occasional holiday can also be seen as a form of respect for Malaysia's role as a host, as well as enhancing students' understanding of the importance of Asean as a bloc that provides many benefits to its member countries, including in terms of economy, politics, and social aspects.
Ali also views the holiday as a relevant step compared to the implementation of Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR), which is sometimes limited by technology access and the digital divide, especially for low-income families.
Ali also emphasised that such an occasional holiday was only recommended for schools that are really involved or are near the main Asean meeting venue and does not involve a nationwide closure.
According to the Education Regulations (Term, Days and School Holidays) 1998 (Amendment) 2021, such holidays refer to days approved by the Registrar as holidays based on applications by headmasters or principals due to any official school events or celebrations, including observances, ceremonies, or religious celebrations that are either declared by the government or not.
Headmasters or principals may designate specific days as occasional holidays not exceeding four days in any academic calendar.
If the headmaster or principal provides reasonable and practical reasons, the Registrar may consider approving more than one day of such holiday for a specific official school event or celebration.
The 46th Asean Summit will take place on May 26 and 27 and will bring together 10 leaders of member countries to discuss regional issues and foster economic cooperation while advocating for the principles of inclusivity and sustainability.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Teachers of Malaysia (NUTP) urged the Education Ministry to consider a more targeted approach to ensure that the learning process would not be disrupted.
NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon stated that the government could consider allowing only students who will be sitting for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) 2025 to attend face-to-face classes, while other students can participate in online learning.
"This is because they will be facing the SPM trial exam soon and need to catch up on the syllabus... so this time is very critical for them. For other students, the PdPR method can be implemented, and this does not solely involve online learning but rather provides modules or assignments to students with minimal communication with the pupils," he told Bernama.
Commenting on the suggestion for an occasional holiday, Fouzi said that a complete school closure is less effective as it can jeopardise efforts to catch up with the syllabus and cause time loss for teachers and students.
Meanwhile, he said he hoped that the Education Ministry could issue clear guidelines early so that schools could make adequate preparations ahead of the prestigious conference.- Bernama