{
  "id": 13919007,
  "title": "School closures: Limited devices, lack of supervision hamper pupils' online lessons",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/school-closures-limited-devices-lack-of-supervision-hamper-pupils",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T08:54:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/10/1553771/school-closures-limited-devices-lack-supervision-hamper-pupils-online"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Johor Baru, Malaysia: As haze-induced school closures have left parents in the region grappling with managing their children's online lessons, the limited availability of devices and lack of supervision have become significant hurdles. Nor Azura Md Amin, a 40-year-old mother of three, described the chaos when all three of her children, aged six, eight, and ten, had to attend classes simultaneously, while only having two devices at home. \"It was complete chaos when classes started simultaneously,\" she explained, adding that her limited devices and her role as a working professional made it difficult to provide adequate supervision. Azura, who is employed in the private sector, expressed concerns about her daily routine being disrupted and the possibility of taking leave if the haze persists.\n\nThe challenges faced by parents in managing online lessons are exacerbated in rural areas, where slow internet connectivity makes it difficult for children to follow lessons smoothly. Siti Hajar A Gaffar, a 43-year-old parent, highlighted the issue of inadequate supervision for primary school students, who are often left at home without adult supervision during online classes. She noted that the home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) period has made it particularly challenging for parents, especially those who are unable to work from home. Device limitations also pose a significant problem, as some older personal devices do not support essential applications like Google Meet, which is crucial for online learning. All schools in Johor were closed last Thursday and Friday due to worsening air quality and public health concerns. The state government has extended the closure for another five days, from today until Friday, affecting 1,198 schools and 617,258 students, as well as religious schools and private Islamic educational institutions in the state.",
  "summary": "JOHOR BARU: School closures due to the haze have left some parents in Johor scrambling to manage their children’s online lessons, with limited devices and supervision posing major challenges.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}