PETALING JAYA: All schools in Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan will close tomorrow as the haze continues to cause air quality deterioration across parts of the country.
The closure will also affect nine districts in four other states, namely Hulu Langat and Sepang in Selangor; Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin in Pahang; Tawau in Sabah; and Serian, Sri Aman and Lubok Antu in Sarawak.
Schools in all other states and unaffected districts will operate as usual.
In a statement, the ministry said that during the closure period, schools must transition to home-based teaching and learning to ensure students’ academic progress remained undisrupted.
Teachers and implementation support assistants are permitted to work from home.
The shutdown follows the ministry’s revised haze management guidelines implemented earlier this month.
Under the SOP, all educational institutions under the ministry's purview must close if the air pollutant index breaches 180 or if it remains consistently above 150 for three consecutive days.
The respective state education departments and individual school administrations have been urged to strictly monitor local air quality and immediately suspend all outdoor activities if conditions worsen.
Parents and school communities are advised to track official updates through the education ministry's portal and with the respective state departments.