JITTERY school authorities are preparing their teachers to teach online as Air Pollutant Index (API) readings reach the high 100s in more areas nationwide.

The current smog standard operating procedure states schools will have to close and students stay at home when the API reading is 200 and above.

An API reading of zero to 50 is considered “good”, 51-100 “moderate”, 101-200 “unhealthy”, 201-300 “very unhealthy”, and 300 and above “hazardous”.

With experience gained from teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic, National Union of Heads of Schools Malaysia president Chuah Soo Cheng said if the smog forces the suspension of classes again, teachers are ready to go back and teach online.

“Not a problem,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Chuah said the current directive states that while students must stay at home if the API reading is 200 and above, teachers, however, still need to turn up at their respective schools.

They will only stay at home when the API reading is 500 and above, he said.

He said at present, most areas have an API reading of under 100 and schools in areas with a reading of 100 and above are required to only suspend their outdoor activities.

National Association of Chinese Primary School Principals deputy president Chew Eng Hock said all schools are complying with the 2019 Education Ministry smog prevention directive.

“That means, if the API is below 100, everything continues as usual. If it’s over 100, outdoor activities are suspended, and if it reaches 200, classes must be suspended and switched to online learning.”

He said students were also reminded of the Health Ministry’s advisory to wear masks if they have a respiratory problem, drink lots of water to prevent dehydration and cut outdoor activities.

Kindergartens too are bracing for the mandatory closure if the smog gets worse.

Malaysian Kindergarten Teachers Association president Sally Ng told The Malaysian Insight that if given a choice, they would rather not close the kindergartens.

A closure would definitely throw the structured life of working parents into chaos.

To make up for potential loss in income, Ng said many kindergartens are now also offering daycare services.

“After all, parents still need to work, and if we close, it would inconvenience them.”

On October 7, Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying said if the smog worsens and the API exceeds 200, schools can decide to temporarily close and switch to online learning without waiting for approval from the district education office.

She urged schools to regularly check the API data updated on the Environment Department’s official website.

“Schools do not need to wait for approval, but they need to inform the district education office,” Lim had said.

Given the poor air quality, she also urged parents to monitor their children’s health regularly and reduce outdoor activities.

One of the country’s foremost weather experts, Fredolin Tangang, had warned that the transboundary smog currently enveloping parts of Malaysia could get worse particularly from December to March next year for Sarawak and Sabah. – October 11, 2023.