He said school sessions would continue in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set.

The ministry would also continue monitoring the situation so that students could follow the learning sessions safely, he said.

“If we look at the data, the clusters came from various educational institutions. More than five million students nationwide, including secondary school students, will return to school on April 4 and 5.

“We have prepared the best SOPs, so we hope all parties including parents and schools will give their support, comply with (the SOPs) so that the school sessions can continue in a safe manner,” he told reporters after handing over maintenance allocations for schools in the Batu Pahat parliamentary constituency here today.

Schools have been reopening in stages starting with preschoolers and Year One and Two pupils going to classes on March 1, followed by Year Three, Four, Five and Six pupils on March 8.

Secondary schools will commence sessions on April 4 in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, and on April 5 in the other states.

Yesterday, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there have been 41 Covid-19 clusters originating from schools and universities since Jan 1, resulting in 2,268 positive cases so far.

Of the total, he said 15 clusters involved institutes of higher learning, 11 in secondary schools and 10 from preschools and primary schools as well as five from tahfiz centres and madrasahs.

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