He said these teachers should apply individually to their schools if they want to take leave on May 10.

“The teachers must make individual requests to the principal or the headmaster because they can take up to 10 days of leave a year,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Mahdzir was responding to the call by the Congress of Unions of Teachers in the Malaysian Education Service for the education ministry to consider giving a replacement holiday to schools and teachers involved at the polling and ballot counting centres.

A total of 6,971 schools will be used as polling centres for the election.

Mahdzir added that 41 teachers from grades DG32 to DG54 had tendered their resignations after being fielded as candidates in the election.

Of the total, 15 were fielded as Barisan Nasional candidates, while the rest represented the opposition.

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