Johor schools, educational institutions to reman closed for 5 more days
The state government had earlier ordered all schools to close for two days from Oct 8, before extending the closure to educational institutions for another five days from Oct 12.
Schools and educational institutions in Johor, Malaysia, are set to remain closed for an additional five days, starting from Monday, October 19, due to hazardous haze conditions. The decision was made at a meeting of the Johor Haze Management Coordination Committee on Saturday. State Education and Information Committee chairman Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali stated that air pollutant index (API) readings have not shown significant improvement.
The extension of the closure is contingent upon developments in air quality, weather forecasts, and ongoing health assessments. The closure is in line with the directive of Johor's Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail and the state government's commitment to public health and safety. During the closure, Teaching and Learning at Home (PdPR) will continue, and limited exceptions will be made for students sitting for examinations and assessments, subject to coordination by the Johor Education Department and compliance with health standard operating procedures.
The department will daily review its standard operating procedures and obtain updates from the ministry's examination board to coordinate schedules for government and religious schools in Johor. The Johor government has been recording a significant rise in asthma and upper respiratory tract infections cases, with 30,648 cases reported in October, marking a 20.7% weekly increase.
The highest API reading of 190, classified as "very unhealthy," was recorded in Pasir Gudang on Sunday, affecting eight monitoring stations in Johor.
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