Touting itself as the country’s first science-based political party, Parti Aspirasi Sains Malaysia (SAINS) said the proposal is the cornerstone of its “CHUPSekolah” policy.

However, SAINS said parents who wish for their children to advance to the next year should be given the option to do so.

“The main objective of CHUPSekolah is to provide breathing space for students and teachers, especially those who stopped attending online classes due to the MCOs (movement control orders) throughout the remainder of 2021,” the party added.

“This gives them time to deal with fatigue, stress and the inability to handle lesson burdens throughout the year.”

According to SAINS, CHUPSekolah would allow students affected by the MCO to catch up and narrow the learning gap, noting that a significant number of children have not attended school since 2020.

The party stressed that CHUPSekolah does not mean that online learning should be completely halted this year. Instead, they called for fewer lessons so as not to pressure students with homework, examinations, and deadlines.

It added that CHUPSekolah will also allow teachers to prioritise the teaching of students who have been left behind in their studies during the MCO period.

SAINS said it is also worrying to see the difficulties faced by many students who do not have a device, or need to share one, to undergo online learning at home.

They said that other issues experienced by students and teachers include a lack of internet access, problematic internet connection, lack of cooperation from parents and students, homework overload, and teachers who are not skilled in conducting online lessons.

It added that CHUPSekolah would also give the government time to distribute 150,000 laptops to needy students and ensure all parties can design a more organised and planned academic content and calendar for 2022-2023.

SAINS is currently awaiting approval for its registration as a political party, having submitted its application to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) last month.