THE Ministry of Education has been urged to improve the timing of school closure and reopening announcements during haze episodes, after parents complained that late notices left them struggling to arrange childcare and support home-based learning.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon said the union had received complaints from parents and had raised the matter with Education director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad for appropriate action.
He said timely notifications would allow parents and teachers to plan ahead, particularly when pupils had to switch to home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) at short notice.
“Improvements are needed in the Education Ministry’s notifications on school closures and reopening in future so that parents and teachers can plan their time.
“We have also received complaints from parents about this. Working parents need to make arrangements for their children’s safety and meals, but late notifications make this difficult,” he told Utusan Malaysia.
The issue arose after the ministry ordered the immediate closure of schools in areas affected by haze when the Air Pollutant Index (API) reached 180.
However, some state education departments reportedly issued closure notices late, despite the decision being based on API readings recorded at nearby monitoring stations at 2pm.
Fouzi said the ministry might have to wait for confirmed API readings before announcing closures, as shutting schools prematurely could disrupt pupils’ learning.
He urged parents and teachers to understand the process, while calling for better communication to help families prepare when air pollution levels warrant school closures.
“The ministry may have to wait for the API readings to be released, and an announcement can be made once the readings clearly exceed the threshold for school closures. Therefore, the public needs to understand the rules and can also plan for possible school closures,” he said. - October 14, 2026