{
  "id": 12616836,
  "title": "Public varsities, colleges told to decide on their own as haze worsens",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/public-varsities-colleges-told-to-decide-on-their-own-as-haze-worsens",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T10:43:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/07/public-varsities-colleges-told-to-decide-on-their-own-as-haze-worsens"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian higher education minister has granted public universities, colleges, and vocational schools the authority to determine their own policies concerning the ongoing haze crisis. Zambry Abd Kadir, the minister, emphasized during a virtual appearance at the Malaysia Global Civilisational Initiative Summit 2026 that institutions must evaluate the situation on their own and implement suitable measures. Alternative learning options, including online classes, are among the possibilities, the minister stated. The haze has prompted authorities to take action; recently, around 200 educational facilities in Batu Pahat, Johor, were mandated to suspend operations due to a hazardous air quality index (API) reading of 203, which falls in the very unhealthy range.",
  "summary": "Higher education minister Zambry Abd Kadir says they need to assess the situation themselves with regard to how learning should be carried out.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Public varsities, colleges told to decide on their own as haze worsens",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/public-varsities-colleges-told-to-decide-on-their-own-as-haze-worsens-12616856",
        "published": "2026-10-07T10:43:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}