JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- The Johor State Education Department (JPNJ) has established a special task force to monitor the haze situation and prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) for school operations.
State Education and Information Committee chairman Dr Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali said the establishment of the task force was agreed upon at the Johor State Haze Management Coordination Meeting, which he chaired this morning.
He said the meeting, attended by various agencies, including the National Security Council (MKN), also agreed to activate the State Disaster Management Committee to strengthen inter-agency coordination.
In a Facebook post today, he said the importance of providing early notice of any decision to close or reopen schools, in accordance with Ministry of Education (MOE) procedures, was also emphasised to give parents, guardians, teachers and schools sufficient time to prepare.
Dr Muhammad Naqib said the State Disaster Management Committee had also been proposed to monitor and assess the haze situation daily, with official information and decisions communicated to the public clearly and consistently.
He acknowledged parents’ concerns over their children’s health, as well as the challenges faced by teachers and schools in managing lessons during the haze.
However, he said decisions would not be based solely on Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, but would also take into account environmental conditions, health risks, pupil safety and the preparedness of all parties.
He said the state government would continue to work with the relevant agencies to ensure that measures were coordinated and guided by the latest assessments to safeguard pupils’ learning environment.
-- BERNAMA