Schools may be closed if heat wave worsens

Temporary closures may be ordered if recommended by Environment department, says Kamalanathan.

KLANG: The government may order temporary closure of schools if the heat wave worsens, according to deputy education minister P. Kamalanathan.

He said ministry would take advice from the Department of Environment before making any decision. “We are guided by the standards set by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry,” he told NST Online. “For haze, there is an Air Pollutant Index standard and similarly, we are guided by that.”

“We will take expert opinion and decide on the next course of action.” He said the temporary closure of schools due to hot weather was frequently done in the Middle East.

However school principals and headmasters had the authority to cancel outdoor activities based on an existing standard circular.

“We have a circular that advises the principals and headmasters that under circumstances when the weather is too hot, they can take action such as stopping outdoor activities,” he said, according to NST Online.

“However, as the situation is worse now, we will make sure the information is sent out to all state education departments during the school holidays so that they can advise and remind all school principals and headmasters to stop out of class activities if it gets too hot when the school reopens in a week.”