In anticipation of large-scale flooding throughout the nation, the Education Ministry has launched Ops Payung to prepare students sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) tomorrow.
The operation, aimed at ensuring candidates get to the examination centres safely, would be carried out by the respective state education departments.
Education director-general Datuk Seri Abd Ghafar Mahmud said the departments had been thoroughly briefed on the long-term plan and action to be taken in the event of flooding.
"Ops Payung provides clear instructions and guidelines on how to manage the examinations in the event of floods occurring in their respective areas," he said in a statement.
He added that examination officers in affected centres needed to work with the Civil Defence Department, police, armed forces as well as Fire and Rescue Department to transport the candidates if evacuations had to be carried out.
The ministry has prepared alternative examination centres in the event of flooding at the existing centres.
Ghafar said the ministry had also instructed the departments to ensure school principals had briefed all candidates in flood-prone areas on the operation.
"Candidates living in housing areas which are flooded are required to inform their schools so that they can be transported to safe areas accompanied by examination officers."
A total of 458,075 candidates will be sitting for the SPM examination at 3,566 centres nationwide from tomorrow until Dec 14.
Meanwhile, schools in Rantau Panjang were fully prepared for the floods.
The worst hit each year is SMK Rantau Panjang, located just 100 metres from the Sungai Golok, which regularly overflows its banks during the monsoon season.
A check at the school yesterday showed carpenters busy repairing the roofs in anticipation of heavy rain in the coming weeks.
School principal Abdullah Yaakob said 316 students, including 24 private candidates, would be sitting for the SPM while 136 students would take the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
He said the school had prepared its hostel, which could accommodate 250 students if floods hit the area.
"Priority will be given to those from Kampung Kubang Rambutan, Kampung Bagus, Kampung Telaga Mas, Kampung Lubuk Setol and Kampung Limau Purut, which are normally cut off from the school whenever the water level rises."
A teacher at the school said although the floodwaters would rise to about 0.5m, the examinations would not be affected as they were held on the higher floors of the school building. The 128 students at the state-run Maahad Muhammadi Rantau Panjang would be moved to SMK Gual Periok if their school is hit by floods.
Bernama reported that 10,000 Fire and Rescue Department personnel were on standby for the possibility of floods hitting the country, especially in Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said the department had also prepared 535 boats for the affected states and 464 divers for search and rescue operations.
"Seven helicopters will be used to carry out aerial surveillance of the flood situation," he said after opening the Safe Town and National Language Month Carnival in Alor Star.
He said the weather forecast by the Meteorological Department indicated that the water level of all rivers would rise between Nov 25 and 28 because of heavy rain.
He said the flood rescue and evacuation operations would be coordinated by the National Security Council.
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