{
  "id": 14166653,
  "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",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T08:31:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/13/schools-in-3-states-9-districts-to-close-tomorrow"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Ministry of Education has announced that all schools in three states and nine districts across Malaysia will close tomorrow due to the ongoing haze crisis. This decision comes as the air quality continues to deteriorate, posing a threat to students' health and academic progress.\n\nThe affected regions include Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan, as well as Hulu Langat, Sepang, Kuantan, Pekan, and Rompin in Selangor; Tawau, Serian, Sri Aman, and Lubok Antu in Sabah. Schools in the remaining states and unaffected districts will continue to operate normally.\n\nThe ministry has implemented revised haze management guidelines, which state that schools must transition to home-based teaching and learning if the Air Quality Index exceeds 180 or remains above 150 for three consecutive days. This measure aims to ensure that students' education is not disrupted during these challenging times.\n\nTeachers and support assistants are permitted to work from home, while state education departments and individual school administrations are urged to closely monitor local air quality. If the situation worsens, outdoor activities will be suspended immediately. Parents and school communities are advised to stay updated 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",
        "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."
}