Haze forces schools in 8 Selangor districts to close tomorrow

 The education ministry has also postponed the end-of-year school assessments scheduled for next week.

Unhealthy readings on the air pollutant index have forced many schools in Selangor to close. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Schools in eight Selangor districts will close on Oct 16 due to the haze, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said in a Facebook post around 7pm today.

“All schools in the Klang, Kuala Selangor, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat, Gombak, Sepang, Petaling Perdana and Petaling Utama education districts will close on Oct 16,” she said.

According to a statement from the Selangor state education department, schools in Hulu Selangor and Sabak Bernam will operate as usual tomorrow. However, all outdoor activities are prohibited.

Separately, the education ministry said it had postponed the end-of-year school assessments (UASA) scheduled for next week due to the haze.

It said the decision took into account parents’ and guardians’ concerns about their children’s health, particularly that of pupils who would have had to attend school to sit for the assessments.

The ministry said schools would be given the flexibility to reschedule the examinations, with the revised dates to be communicated to parents and guardians.

As of 5pm today, Klang recorded the highest air pollutant index (API) reading in Selangor, at 195.

Five other areas recorded unhealthy API readings – Johan Setia (192), Shah Alam (180), Banting (174), Petaling Jaya (169) and Kuala Selangor (161).

API readings of 0-50 indicate good air quality, 51-100 moderate, 101-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy, and above 300 are considered hazardous. - FMT