SELANGOR has ordered the closure of all public and private schools in the state for tomorrow and Friday following the worsening air quality in the state.

The state Disaster Relief Management Committee said in a statement today that the order was pursuant to the Meteorological Department’s advice that the poor air quality would persist till next week.

“Exposure to haze would increase health risks for children, the elderly, heart patients and those pregnant.

“This school closure order is made after considering the affects of the haze to the respiratory system and health of the students,” said the committee today.

The committee said the state and district education departments will have to inform the schools and parents in the state about the closure order. 

Earlier today, Selangor ordered the closure of 538 schools due to the air quality reaching very unhealthy levels.

The Selangor Education Department said 10 districts had registered above 200 points on the air pollutant index (API).

These schools were part of 1,484 schools closed nationwide today. The closure affected more than a million students.

Selangor is the worst-affected state, with 538 schools closed, followed by Sarawak (337) and Perak (303).

The closure has been ordered based on API readings at 1pm.

In another development, the Education Ministry advised colleges and universities to suspend classes if the trans-boundary smoke in their areas reaches very unhealthy levels.

In a statement, the ministry’s Higher Education Department said tertiary institutions in states that have been badly affected by the air pollution have been advised to suspend classes.

“This is if the haze in their areas reaches levels that will endanger the health of students, lecturers and other staff,” the department’s director said in a statement.

In a statement, the Selangor Education Department said all 939 schools under its purview in the state will be closed for the next two days, involving some 911,000 students.

It added that the closure order also includes all private schools and kindergartens in the state. – September 18, 2019.