'Free time' after final exams sparks debate on start of 2025 school year

As the year draws to a close, questions have arisen over whether next year's academic session should be brought forward to January as it was before the onset of Covid-19 in the country, given the wealth of free time that students have after the end of final exams or UASA in November.

Many parents have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of classes following the UASA, saying it is a waste of time for their children to attend school until the month-long end-of-term break which begins on Jan 17, 2025.

The academic calendar was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent movement control orders which saw schools and educational institutions nationwide shut down for months as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus.  

The education ministry had said that next year's school session would begin on Feb 17 and revert to January in 2026.

But many parents said this would be the best time to return to a starting date in January.

"I think it's better to go back to the way things were," Harris Azimin said.

"The current school calendar is a mess," added Harris, whose son attends a school on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

"We've already returned all of the textbooks. No one is learning anything at school anymore."

A mother who asked to remain anonymous agreed, saying the UASA had ended about a month ago.

"Since then, the children have only been waiting for their results. There are some activities like football games and school trip to the Selangor international book fair, but the majority of students are not involved," she said.

She said the students were also busy returning their textbooks and picking up the ones they would need next year.

"They're also filling out the form for aid," she said. "They're not learning anything. Just a lot of paperwork."

Harris, who works in the private sector, said he could not understand why the government did not shift the 2025 school session directly to January.

He said the start of the academic year would clash with the month of Ramadan, and add to the financial burdens of families already struggling to equip their children with the necessary school supplies.

But Shakila Shairudin, from Johor, said moving the school session back to January next year would cause problems for students sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia or SPM examination.

"The oral and practical exams are taking place this month, and the written papers will start next year," she said.

"There might not be any problems at the primary school level, but at secondary schools, the teachers need to finish the syllabus before exams begin."

National Parent-Teacher Association president Mohamad Ali Hasan said although exams had ended, schools had collaborated with the ministry to arrange co-curricular activities for the students.

"These include field trips, benchmarking sessions, and teaching and learning workshops," he said.

"I hope such efforts to improve the education and welfare of the students will not be taken lightly."

Idi Johan Mohd Zohdi, who teaches at a school in Sekinchan, Selangor, said most schools had come up with post-examination programmes.

He said the teachers could then have the time that they need to mark answer sheets and process the necessary data, in addition to conducting intervention for students based on individual topics.

"All this is helpful in planning out the work and activities for the following year," he said.

He said pushing the school session to January would cut into the teachers' break and complicate duties for those in charge of managing the school activities and calendar.

"If we shorten the break, I'm afraid that things will be rushed through."