KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 3.61 million students from states in Group B, out of a total of 5.05 million students nationwide, started the 2024/2025 academic school session today.

Education director-general Azman Adnan said Group B covers schools in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

Yesterday, Group A, comprising students from Johor, Kelantan, Terengganu and Keda began their new school session.

"In Melaka, it (new session) involved 153,813 students namely 66,547 secondary students and 87,256 primary students in 317 schools," he told reporters after inspecting the first day of the school session at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Merlimau Dua in Jasin, Melaka.

Meanwhile, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Education Department director Roslan Abu Hassan said 225,062 pupils attended the new school session in 291 schools here.

In Putrajaya, a total of 39,162 preschool, primary, and secondary students began the new academic session today.

Putrajaya Federal Territory Education Department director Ezaiddin Hussain said the number involved 1,051 preschoolers, 23,096 primary school students and 15,015 secondary school students.

"There were 3,539 pupils entering Year One this year and 3,778 students entering Form One," he said.

A Bernama survey found a cheerful atmosphere as students were welcomed at SK Putrajaya Precinct 17(1) by mascots 'Sonic' and 'Mickey Mouse', in addition to teachers singing some uplifting songs such as 'Mulanya Di Sini', 'Bintang' and 'Guruku Tersayang'.

In Negeri Sembilan, state Education Department director Datuk Dr Roslan Hussin said a total of 174,110 students began their school session today in 479 schools, whereas Pahang Education director Amzan Abd Malek said a total of 259,000 students from preschoolers to sixth formers started their school session in 739 schools in the state.

Meanwhile, Perlis Education director Rose Aza Che Arifin said 47,403 students started the new school session today at 104 schools in the state.

In Sabah, state Education Department director Datuk Raisin Saidin said 540,891 students started the school session, with 319,578 entering primary school, 216,405 entering secondary school and the rest in Form Six.

He said this to reporters after inspecting the first day of the 2024/2025 academic session at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Likas here today.

In Penang, 217,886 students in 397 primary and secondary schools throughout the state started the 2024/2025 school session today.

Its Education director, Abdul Said Hussain who conducted an inspection on the first day of the school session at SMK Ahmad Badawi in Kepala Batas said there were 117,585 primary school students and 100,301 secondary school students.

"The number of Year One students for this new school session was 21,053 involving 270 schools whereas there were 21,034 Form One students from 127 schools in Penang," he said.

In the meantime, in Perak, the presence of various mascots as well as parents, especially of those entering Year One, made it a cheerful experience for students at SK Tasik Damai in Ipoh.

-- BERNAMA