Hisham: Never mind the uniform

Tuesday December 25, 2007

MARAN: Attend school even if you do not have your uniforms on the first day of the new session.

“I am worried as there are students who have said they would not be attending school because their uniforms were lost or destroyed in the floods,” Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said at a gotong royong to clean up SK Paya Pasir, here yesterday.

Setting an example: Hishammuddin (second from left), Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob (third from left) and Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Tan Aminuddin Tan Ishak (fourth from left) cleaning up the floor of SK Paya Pasir in Maran yesterday.

He said school principals had to understand there were students who had lost their uniforms in the floods.

He said the Government wanted to see all pupils and students attend school on Jan 3.

“There will not be any punishment if they are not in their school uniforms,” Hishammuddin said, adding that the students should also not be embarrassed if they were without the uniforms.

He also urged textbook suppliers to double their effort to print the books so that they could be delivered on time.

The Meteorological Department has forecasted less rain over the coming days in all states except Sabah and Sarawak.

Moderate occasional rainfall is expected in Sarawak while rain is expected in eastern Sabah in the morning and western Sabah in the afternoon.

The statement said high tide was expected at several places off the peninsula, Sarawak and western Sabah for five days beginning today.

In PAHANG, the flood situation has improved, with the number of evacuees having dropped to 8,807 from 10,172 early yesterday.

The main road linking Pekan and Kuantan is still closed to all vehicles while Jalan Pekan-Paloh Hinai has been opened to heavy vehicles.

In KELANTAN, state Education Director Ismail Mohd Nor said schools would open for the new school year as scheduled on Jan 2 as the situation has returned to normal.

He said all school heads had been instructed to make the necessary preparations.

In JOHOR, the number of flood evacuees in the state continued to drop with only 266 people remaining in seven flood relief centres in Segamat. All roads in the state are now passable.

In ALOR STAR, all flood victims in Kedah have returned home and the water level at rivers have fallen below the danger level.