Parents who choose not to send their children to school during severe haze conditions must inform the school beforehand, said Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.
He said parents were given the flexibility to keep their children at home for one or two days, or for a certain period, if they believed the haze could affect their health.
“If parents choose not to send their children to school for one or two days or for a certain period during a severe haze situation, they are allowed to do so, but they must inform the school beforehand,” he told reporters after visiting Taiping Hospital today.
Wong said the flexibility was provided as the Education Ministry (MOE) understood parents’ concerns about their children’s health, particularly when haze conditions worsened.
He said the ministry was confident that parents could make the best decisions for their children based on the prevailing conditions.
Wong also stressed that the ministry had clear guidelines for managing haze in schools, dismissing claims that it had no plans to deal with the situation.
Under the guidelines, all outdoor activities will be suspended when the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading exceeds 100.
“If the API reading exceeds 200, the affected schools will be closed,” he said.
Wong said the measures had previously been implemented during haze episodes in Sarawak and were carried out in accordance with the established guidelines.
He also clarified that the guidelines for hot weather were separate from those governing haze and could not be based on API readings.
“Hot weather has nothing to do with API readings and so on. We have guidelines for hot weather, including matters related to school uniforms,” he said.
Wong said the ministry and school management had their own guidelines and mechanisms to deal with hot weather conditions.
He added that all the guidelines were in place to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of students were prioritised according to prevailing conditions.
