PETALING JAYA, Nov 6 — The Ministry of Education (MoE) has mobilised a committee to deal with the north-east monsoon season and gazetted 5,063 schools nationwide as flood relief centres.

Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek said the committee that encompases ministries and agencies will be involved in preparing relief centres, asset transfers, volunteers as well as handling the provision for post-disaster maintenance.

"We issued a letter in October to ensure all our schools especially those schools selected to be relief centres are reminded of this,” she told reporters after attending the north-east monsoon (MTL) Preparedness 2023/2024 launch ceremony at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Dato’ Harun (2), Jalan Klang Lama here today.

"(A total of) 5,063 schools have been gazetted as relief centres and we are also ready with any instructions for preparations to select approximately seven to eight schools as permanent evacuation centres.”

She said additionally, the MoE has also empowered disaster management teams at the State Education Department level to help channel disaster-related information and data as well as manage disaster-related affairs in their respective states.

The ministry is also training a volunteer team comprising individuals such as teachers and all MoE staff who are registered as members of the Sports and Culture Association (MESCA); Guru Insani Malaysia (GIM); students of Teacher Education Institutions (IPG); and Form Six students who are Madani Community volunteers, she said.

Fadhlina also said her team has made preparations to face the fallout from the north-east monsoon for Form Five students who will be sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination beginning December 5.

"SPM students in boarding schools will sit for their examinations at the boarding schools...and if there are issues closely related to the floods, relief centres...we have already made preparations for these (with regard examinations,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) in its weather forecast report for the period September 2023 to March 2024, predicted that the north-east monsoon 2023/2024 will begin this month (November) with four to six monsoon episodes that bring continuous rain and potential flooding. — Bernama