He said Year 1 and 2 students will be back to school on March 1, while those in Year 3 to 6 will be back in school on March 8.

Meanwhile, secondary schools will be opened in two groups on April 4 and 5, according to the weekends in the respective states.

Group A comprises schools in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu while Group B comprises schools in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and the federal territories.

In a press conference today, Radzi said the decision to reopen secondary schools a month later was because the 2020 cohort of Form 5 students will be sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exams in March.

Secondary schools will reopen after the midterm holidays and the SPM examination which ends in late March.

Meanwhile, all international schools and tuition centres will be allowed to resume operations from March 8.

“This ruling applies to all schools and educational institutions, public or private, registered with the education ministry. Those not registered with the ministry are advised to follow these dates and to comply with the SOPs (standard operating procedures) that have been set,” said Radzi.