KOTA SAMARAHAN: As floodwaters crept into homes at Kampung Endap here, parents were not only racing to save their belongings but also trying to protect their children’s hopes of starting the new school year on time.
The school session in Sarawak starts Jan 12, 2026.
In knee- to waist-deep water, school bags were lifted onto cupboards, uniforms hung on stair railings and exercise books stacked on upper floors as families scrambled to salvage what they could.
For many children, excitement over a new school term quickly turned into uncertainty as floods disrupted preparations and delayed school registrations.
Some families were forced to evacuate to the temporary evacuation centre late at night, leaving behind school documents and uniforms.
Internet disruptions in the village further complicated matters, preventing parents from completing online school registrations and communicating with schools.
Parents shared their worries as the Sarawak school term officially began today, fearing their children might miss the first days of school or start the year unprepared.
For those with children entering secondary school, the delays were especially stressful as registration and orientation processes were interrupted by the flooding.
Despite the challenges, residents remain hopeful. Many said their priority was ensuring their children’s safety, even as they looked ahead to rebuilding routines and helping their children return to school once floodwaters receded.
Mohamad Supriman Mohamad Yusof, 40, who works in a wood factory and the father of a Form Three student, Mohamad Shariman, of SMK Siburan, said he would wait for the water to recede to send his son to school.
“Our preparations were affected because of the flood. By right, the registration should be done on Friday but because of the flood, we cannot register my son yet.
“What makes it worse, the internet line has been cut off as well, making it difficult to register online.
“However, there is an exemption given by the school for late registrations,” he said.
“When school starts, students can still wear their old school uniforms,” he added.
Mohamad Supriman said when the flood started three days ago, the water level was about one metre high. By the third day, the water level was higher.
He and his family were moved to the temporary flood shelter at SK Endap.
“We managed to salvage some of the things at home.
“Luckily, we have not bought the school items yet. As for school supplies, we will buy them when everything is back to normal,” he said.
Iswardi Dol, 56, who worked as a cargo driver, said he could not bring his son to school for registration even though the school was only 30 minutes’ drive from their village.
“The access roads are cut off by floods. Both the back road and the front road are impassable. We can’t even go out to buy school supplies
Going to school is also very difficult,” he said.
Iswardi added since their village was located at the upper stream, most of the river water from Tapah and Beratok would flow to Sungai Endap.
Hence, their village would be the first to be affected by the flood.
“Most of our things at home including the TV set, cupboards and school items have been moved to the upper floor of our home.
“The ground floor was flooded, about 1 metre deep.”
As of 12 noon yesterday, a total of 42 temporary evacuation centres (PPS) had been opened across 14 districts, sheltering 3,031 evacuees from 876 households.
According to the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) Sarawak, the figure shows an increasing trend following continuous rainfall since Thursday night.
