MOE reverts to haze plan: Schools shut at API 200, outdoor classes at 100, parents may keep kids home

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has reinstated the National Haze Action Plan guidelines, requiring school closures when the Air Pollutant Index (API) hits 200 and suspending outdoor activities if the API exceeds 100.

Parents can opt to keep their children at home with prior notification during haze conditions.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek emphasized that actions should align with specific API levels and noted that the decision aligns with feedback from agencies like the National Disaster Management Agency.

The ministry aims to balance student health concerns with educational needs, considering experiences from the past Movement Control Order.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — The Ministry of Education (MOE) has reverted to the National Haze Action Plan (PTJK) guidelines, which mandate the immediate closure of schools when the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaches 200, following input from various relevant agencies.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that under the PTJK, all outdoor classroom activities must also be halted when the API exceeds 100.

She added that parents are also permitted not to send their children to school if they are concerned that the haze condition could affect their health, provided they notify the school administration.

“In managing the haze, specific actions must be taken for each API reading level. We cannot assume that all risk levels require the same course of action,” she said in a Facebook post today.

She noted that the decision to return to the PTJK guidelines was made after discussions with related agencies, including taking into account views from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) that haze management must be guided by the said plan.

Fadhlina stated that the previous decision to take a more cautious approach was made by taking seriously the concerns expressed by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia regarding the haze situation, while prioritising the safety and health of students.

According to her, the MOE also received various feedback from parents, including requests for schools to be closed for a week, concerns about learning gaps, and the difficulty of managing childcare while working.

Therefore, she said the ministry called upon all relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Health, the Department of Environment (DOE), and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) for discussions, as the issue involves health, air quality, and disaster management that require their expertise.

“I understand that logic. After all, an API reading of 150 is indeed within the unhealthy category. Parents’ concerns at that level are certainly well-founded,” she said.

Fadhlina stated that the flexibility given for students to be absent from school takes into account differing health conditions among students, including those suffering from asthma, respiratory issues, or those more easily affected by the haze.

She said the MOE is also responsible for ensuring that students do not continuously lose learning time, drawing from the experience during the Movement Control Order (MCO) which highlighted the difficulty of recovering missed learning, while emphasising that every concern will continue to be heard and decisions made in consultation with expert authorities. — Bernama

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马来西亚教育部已恢复国家雾霾行动计划指南，规定当空气污染指数 (API) 达到 200 时学校必须关闭，当 API 超过 100 时户外活动必须暂停。

雾霾天气期间，家长可以提前通知学校，选择让孩子待在家中。

教育部长法德琳娜·西德克强调，各项行动应与具体的API等级相符，并指出该决定与国家灾害管理机构等机构的反馈意见相一致。

教育部希望在考虑以往行动管制令经验的基础上，平衡学生的健康问题和教育需求。

吉隆坡，10 月 15 日讯——教育部在听取各相关机构的意见后，已恢复执行国家雾霾行动计划（PTJK）指南，该指南规定，当空气污染指数（API）达到 200 时，学校必须立即关闭。

教育部长法德琳娜·西德克表示，根据PTJK规定，当API超过100时，所有户外课堂活动也必须停止。

她补充说，如果家长担心雾霾情况会影响孩子的健康，也可以不送孩子上学，但必须通知学校管理部门。

“在应对雾霾问题时，必须针对每个空气污染指数（API）读数级别采取具体措施。我们不能想当然地认为所有风险级别都需要采取相同的行动，”她今天在Facebook上发帖说。

她指出，在与相关机构进行讨论后，决定恢复 PTJK 指导方针，其中包括考虑到国家灾害管理机构 (Nadma) 的意见，即雾霾管理必须以该计划为指导。

法德琳娜表示，之前采取更加谨慎的做法，是认真考虑了马来西亚最高元首苏丹易卜拉欣陛下对雾霾情况的担忧，同时将学生的安全和健康放在首位。

据她所说，教育部还收到了家长们的各种反馈，包括要求学校停课一周、担心学习差距以及工作时难以安排子女照料等问题。

因此，她表示，该部已呼吁卫生部、环境部和国家灾害管理署等所有相关机构进行讨论，因为该问题涉及健康、空气质量和灾害管理，需要他们的专业知识。

“我理解这种逻辑。毕竟，API读数达到150确实属于不健康范围。家长们对这个数值的担忧当然是有道理的，”她说。

法德利娜表示，给予学生请假的灵活性考虑到了学生之间不同的健康状况，包括患有哮喘、呼吸系统疾病或更容易受到雾霾影响的学生。

她表示，教育部也有责任确保学生不会持续损失学习时间，并借鉴了行动管制令（MCO）期间的经验，当时的经验凸显了弥补学习损失的难度。她同时强调，教育部将继续倾听所有意见，并与专家机构协商后做出决定。——马新社

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