State education chiefs told to decide on school haze closures

The Malaysian education ministry has instructed state education chiefs to determine school closures in response to the deteriorating air quality caused by haze across the country. State education directors have been tasked with establishing haze monitoring committees that comprise state and district education officials, tasked with tracking daily air pollution readings.

These committees will inform state education chiefs about the conditions, allowing them to decide whether schools should operate as usual or implement home-based teaching and learning programs. The ministry announced that announcements regarding school operations will be made before 2:45 pm on Saturday for schools in Group A (which have a Friday-Saturday weekend) and before 5:45 pm on other days for Group B schools (with a Saturday-Sunday weekend).

Universities, polytechnics, and community colleges have been granted autonomy to decide on their own learning arrangements due to the haze. On Monday, the Johor state government announced that schools and other educational institutions in the state would remain closed for an additional five days due to worsening air quality. However, the education ministry clarified that schools in Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu will continue operating as normal tomorrow, as the air quality remains under control.