Haze in Malaysia: Schools in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, several other districts to shut on Oct 14

Haze in Malaysia: Schools in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, several other districts to shut on Oct 14 PETALING JAYA – All schools in the Malaysian states of Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan will be closed on Oct 14 due to the haze. Malaysian Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the closure also involves schools under the Hulu Langat and Sepang district education offices in Selangor, Pahang (Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin), Sabah (Tawau) and Sarawak (Serian, Sri Aman and Lubok Antu). “Schools in all other states and districts will operate as usual,” she said in a Facebook post on Oct 13. During the closure, home-based teaching and learning will be conducted, while teachers and support staff are allowed to work from home. In a statement on Oct 13, the Sarawak education department said the decision was made based on the air pollutant index (API) readings in the affected districts at 2pm. The state Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) website showed API readings of 155 in Serian, 164 in Sri Aman and 179 in Lubok Antu. “For schools located near districts with API readings above 150, headmasters and principals can consider implementing PdPR (home-based learning), taking into account the health and safety of students,” the education department said. The department added that headmasters and principals can take steps to reopen their schools once the API reading drops below 150. However, it said the Special School Entry Assessment, Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia and Sarawak’s Ujian Penilaian Dual Language Programme will continue as scheduled. Notices and further instructions on implementing the assessment and examinations can be found on the department’s official Facebook page.