KUCHING, Jan 12 — Flooding has forced 28 schools in Sarawak to delay the first day of the new term, up from 26 reported yesterday, following monitoring carried out by the Dalat District Education Office last night.
State Education director Omar Mahli said the floods have affected two schools in Dalat, three in Daro, four in Selangau, and 19 in Tatau/Sebauh.
Speaking to the media after visiting SMK Petra Jaya today, he said that home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) is the best alternative for affected schools, as the first week of term focuses on orientation and light learning activities.
The 2026 school term sees over five million primary and secondary students nationwide, including 442,510 Year One and 423,646 Form One newcomers.
In Sabah, State Education director Datuk Raisin Saidin said that seven primary schools were forced to close on the first day of term due to flooding and landslides.
Six schools in Beaufort remain flooded, while one in Tenom faces safety risks after a landslide. The schools can either conduct PdPR during the closure or hold Saturday replacement classes once they reopen.
“The schools will only reopen once conditions are fully restored and it is safe for students and teachers to return,” he said in a statement after visiting SMK Trus Madi today.
Raisin added that the six affected schools in Beaufort are SK Bangkalalak, SK Garama, SK Jabang, SK Kebulu, SK Lago, and SK Suasa, with 364 students, while SK Simpang in Tenom has 60 students.
Meanwhile, 43,385 Year One and 44,851 Form One students in Sabah started the 2026 school term today, along with 410 secondary students in Remove classes.
“That figure is part of 276,144 primary and 214,170 secondary students enrolled in the 2026 school term,” he noted, adding that in total, 490,314 students in Sabah have started the 2026 school term today.
