State education chiefs told to decide on school haze closures

The education ministry in Malaysia has instructed state education chiefs to determine whether schools should close due to the deteriorating air quality caused by haze. State education directors are tasked with establishing haze monitoring committees comprised of state and district education officials to track daily air pollution readings.

These committees will inform the state education chiefs' decisions regarding school operations, whether schools will resume as normal or transition to home-based teaching and learning arrangements.

Announcements about school status will be made before 2:45 pm on Saturday for schools in Group A, which have a Friday-Saturday weekend, and on Sunday for Group B schools with a Saturday-Sunday weekend. For other days, the directors will provide updates on school operations before 5:45 pm based on the Air Pollution Index (API) readings. Universities, polytechnics, and community colleges have been granted autonomy to decide on learning arrangements due to the haze.

Recently, the Johor state government announced that schools and other educational institutions in the state will remain closed for an additional five days from Monday due to worsening air quality across the state. However, the education ministry has stated that schools in Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu will continue operating as usual tomorrow, as air quality remains under control.