{
  "id": 12417143,
  "title": "Batu Pahat religious schools to close over haze",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/batu-pahat-religious-schools-to-close-over-haze",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T15:55:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/10/1549295/batu-pahat-religious-schools-close-over-haze"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Batu Pahat, a district in Johor, Malaysia, will see the closure of all religious schools and private Islamic education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAINJ) on the following day. This decision comes in response to extremely unhealthy air quality levels. According to Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, chairman of the State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee, 106 state religious schools and 53 private Islamic institutions will be affected. The closure was prompted by a notification from the Batu Pahat district office indicating that the Air Pollutant Index (API) had surpassed the unhealthy threshold of 200. This action aligns with the National Haze Action Plan, which prioritizes the safety and well-being of students and educators. The final decision on reopening is contingent upon ongoing air quality conditions and directives from the relevant authorities. In the interim, schools are mandated to transition to Home-Based Teaching and Learning if instructed by the JAINJ Islamic Education Division or the Batu Pahat District Islamic Education Office. The committee urges all parties to cooperate in safeguarding the health and welfare of students and educators throughout the haze period. The Air Pollutant Index is categorized as follows: readings ranging from 101 to 200 are classified as unhealthy, while values between 51 and 100 are considered moderate.",
  "summary": "BATU PAHAT: All religious schools and private Islamic education institutions under the Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAINJ) in Batu Pahat will be closed tomorrow following very unhealthy air quality.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Bernama",
        "title": "General : Batu Pahat Schools, Kindergartens And Childcare Centres To Close As API Exceeds 200",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/general-batu-pahat-schools-kindergartens-and-childcare-centres-to",
        "published": "2026-10-06T12:27:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}