NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon said schools operate according to the official calendar set by the education ministry, with no fewer than 190 school days per year.

“Schools have administrative assistants, department heads, and committee heads to manage each subject.

“Teachers know what they’re doing to ensure the success of their students every year. Co-curriculars have been planned by the ministry, education department, district education departments, and schools,” he told FMT.

Fouzi was commenting on teachers’ concerns that a large portion of the syllabus remained uncompleted despite the academic session already passing the halfway point.

Yesterday, Anuar Ahmad of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia claimed that numerous programmes organised by administrators, both within and outside of school, had disrupted teaching schedules.

He said the academic session this year was also shorter, with the next one to begin in January.

Fouzi said teachers understood their responsibilities and were fully committed to ensuring their students’ success, but also acknowledged that some schools ran programmes outside of the yearly plan.

“There is no denying that some schools have not properly considered whether the programmes implemented will have an impact on students’ education, or are simply to fulfil the demands of their management,” he said.

He suggested that the ministry reassess all high-impact programmes, including those which he said only served to waste the time and emotional efforts of teachers.

“Programmes not scheduled in the calendar don’t have to be run. The World Bank report that Malaysian students spend an average of 11 years in school but learn the equivalent of only eight years must be taken into account and acted on by the ministry,” he said.