Haze-hit Singapore parents call for Hong Kong-style school air con
Salon manager Alice Pang says her 10-year-old daughter has likened the visibility inside her classroom in Singapore to Malaysia’s Genting Highlands, but while the mountain resort is often shrouded in fog caused by water particles, her child’s active imagination may have been triggered by worsening haze plaguing the city state. Pang told This Week in Asia that her daughter, whose classroom did not…
Parents in Singapore are demanding school air conditioning to combat the increasing haze plaguing the city state. A Salon manager, Alice Pang, recounted how her daughter's classroom visibility resembled Malaysia's Genting Highlands, indicating the severity of the haze. Pang's daughter, who lacks air conditioning in her classroom, has been suffering from sinus issues exacerbated by the haze.
The government has provided N95 masks and air-conditioned rooms in shelters, but Pang argues that schools should implement air conditioning in classrooms to complement the air purifiers. Education Minister Desmond Lee stated that lessons and national examinations have continued in enclosed venues with air purifiers, and his ministry may consider school closures if the PSI reaches hazardous levels.
General practitioner Lawrence Ng warned that common conditions triggered by haze include upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. Opposition MP Kenneth Tiong called for air conditioning in classrooms, noting that the haze has made it more difficult for students and teachers to handle the heat.
In Hong Kong, schools have been air-conditioned for public sector institutions since 2017 to provide a more comfortable learning environment. A mother of a six-year-old, who previously lived in Hong Kong, expressed surprise at the lack of air conditioning in her child's Singaporean kindergarten classroom and questioned if the haze had been underestimated.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
