KLANG: The Education Ministry is implementing innovative solutions, including the establishment of "floating" classrooms within school premises to resolve the issue of overcrowding in 86 schools nationwide.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced plans to utilise available spaces such as laboratories, language rooms, and health rooms to create fully-functional classrooms dedicated to specific subjects.
These "floating" classrooms will serve as a short-term solution to alleviate overcrowding without disrupting students' learning processes.
"We have a total of 86 overcrowded schools nationwide, where each class has more than 40 students and this is the benchmark (in determining whether the school is overcrowded).
"During my visit to two overcrowded schools today, one in Pulau Ketam and another in Meru, a lot was discussed (to solve the issue) between teachers and administrators alongside the district education office and state education department.
"They have demonstrated the commitment to address the issue and one of it includes the establishment of floating classrooms as a short-term solution which will not affect student's learning process.
"Hence, we will optimise the available resources (in schools) where students can just go into these 'floating' classrooms to be managed by school administrators," she said during a visit in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Meru, Klang, today.
At Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Meru in Klang, one of the overcrowded schools with 240 teachers and 4,108 students, Fadhlina emphasised the ministry's commitment to resolving overcrowding issue raised in parliament.
She also said that the school was also in the process of constructing another eight classrooms to address the matter.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina added that the establishment of the "floating" classrooms, however, would differ based on the school's situation.
This, she said, was that certain schools did not have extra available spaces to establish "floating" classrooms.
"We will use the same formula (to establish 'floating' classrooms) in other schools aside from the long-term planning on the construction of new schools taken by the ministry.
"However, (as a short-term solution) if the school has no space at all, we need to find other alternatives to ensure students have a conducive learning environment to continue their learning."