Education minister: Parents have discretion in having kids stay home from school if haze worsens

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek has stated that parents can decide to keep their children at home if they are worried about the health impacts of the haze affecting the country. Parents are only required to inform the school if they decide to keep their children away from school. Fadhlina emphasized that the health and safety of children are the top priority for the ministry.

She assured that any measures taken to address the haze situation will be based on the National Haze Action Plan. The Education Minister mentioned that the ministry will continue to monitor the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings from the Department of Environment (DOE) and the current situation, especially in affected areas. According to the APIMS portal, Samarahan, Sarawak was the only area with a very unhealthy reading of 226, while 40 areas recorded unhealthy readings and 24 had moderate readings.