KUANTAN, March 5 — The rescheduled Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2022 for candidates unable to sit for their examinations earlier this month due to floods will start on March 16, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said.

She said 450 candidates from Johor, Pahang (79) and Sarawak (four) for the economics, science, physics and home science papers, which were held on March 1 and 2, were involved.

"We will begin on March 16, but we will also make considerations, especially with logistics preparations and other related matters. We are hoping the weather will improve so that there will not be more rescheduling and we can focus on the affected period,” she told reporters after launching the national-level Gerakan Massa #terimakasihcikgu programme here today.

She said currently 17 schools in Johor and two in Pahang are affected by floods, and she will head to Johor tomorrow to inspect the affected schools so that appropriate assistance can be provided. She will also visit affected teachers.

Her ministry is also focusing on disaster-proof school designs for schools in locations that are under constant threat of disasters such as floods.

In another development, Fadhlina said her ministry is implementing several actions to overcome the shortage of teachers, especially in Sarawak, before the new school session begins this month.

These include the matter of teacher placements, which is being looked at jointly between the Education Ministry director-general Datuk Pkharuddin Ghazali and the Education Service Commission.

At the ceremony, Fadhlina also announced the theme of this year’s Teacher’s Day, which is ‘Guru Insani Pemangkin Generasi Madani’ that will be celebrated in Melaka. — Bernama