KOTA KINABALU: Some 5,737 students in Government secondary schools resuming classes on June 24 will be aided with 30,000 face masks donated by Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin as a preparation before they return to school. The aid was purchased by the KK MP office using constituency funding granted by the State Government.The face masks were handed over to the State Education Department Director Mistirine Radin on June 17 at her department’s office for distribution to the schools.

Chan, who is also Democratic Action Party (DAP) Secretary said the resumption of classes has been allowed by the Education Ministry, Health Ministry and National Security Council (MKN) after the developing the necessary Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The first resumption stage will only involve secondary school students who are candidates of major examinations.There are 24 Government secondary schools within the jurisdiction of the Kota Kinabalu district.Among them, 4,942 are Form Five students whereas 795 are Form Six students. 

The candidates will be given five face masks each.Chan extended his appreciation to Mistirine and State Senior General Assistant Education Director Tham Yun Fook for their assistance in arranging the distribution of face masks to schools next Monday and Tuesday.He added there are four other independent secondary schools in KK with a total of 850 candidates sitting for public examinations. As such, he will provide additional face masks for these schools by next week.He also called on all parties, including parents, students, and teaching staff, to co-operate in order to ensure hygiene at school premises and protect students from Covid-19 transmissions.

Chan added that it is vital for students to also take responsibility for their own health.“Form Five and Six students are young people around the age of 18 who already have the ability to think rationally.“They are now walking up the stairs to adulthood, and it is therefore essential for them to take good care of themselves by always maintaining hygiene and to follow the SOP formulated by the Ministry of Education,” said Chan.