{
  "id": 14163069,
  "title": "Schools in 3 states, 9 districts to close tomorrow",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/schools-in-3-states-9-districts-to-close-tomorrow",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T08:31:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/13/schools-in-3-states-9-districts-to-close-tomorrow"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Schools in three states and nine districts across Malaysia will close tomorrow due to severe air pollution from haze, the Ministry of Education announced. The closure affects schools in Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan, as well as nine districts in Selangor, Pahang, Sabah, and Sarawak. Home-based learning will replace the traditional classroom setting to maintain students' academic progress during the closure. Teachers and support staff are allowed to work remotely. The decision follows the ministry's revised haze management guidelines, which state that schools must shut down if the air pollutant index exceeds 180 or remains above 150 for three consecutive days. State education departments and individual schools are urged to monitor local air quality and suspend outdoor activities if conditions worsen. Parents and school communities are advised to stay informed through the education ministry's portal and respective state departments.",
  "summary": "Worsening air quality forces the education ministry to shut down physical classrooms for thousands of students across three states.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Schools in 3 states, 9 districts to close tomorrow",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/schools-in-3-states-9-districts-to-close-tomorrow-14166653",
        "published": "2026-10-13T08:31:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}