Students in most states to go back to school on Jan 5

Thursday September 25, 2008

PETALING JAYA: Students will go back to school on Jan 5 in all states next year except for those in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, where classes start a day earlier (see chart).

There will be an extra school day next year making it 208 days, compared with the previous year, which had 207 school days.

Students will have 77 days of holiday next year, seven days fewer than this year.

An education ministry official explained that there was no mistake to the start of the final term on Aug 31 (in the second term).

She said the ministry counted it as the start of the school week although it happened to fall on National Day.

“Students will actually start the term on Sept 1, but we look at the start of the week which happens to fall on Aug 31,” she said when contacted.

Schools can apply for cuti peristiwa (occasional holiday), which need not be replaced, or for cuti ganti (replacement holiday) for an extended break during festive seasons.