Parents in Malacca unaware of school closure

Many were unaware of the Education Ministry’s directive last night and this morning to close all schools in the state.

Checks by Astro AWANI at several schools in Ayer Molek, Duyung and Bukit Katil here, revealed that many students had turned up at school this morning, only to be turned away.

However, members of the public whom we spoke to concurred with the ministry's decision as a measure to safeguard schoolchildren’s health.

“I didn’t know that schools here are closed today, so I prepped my younger sibling for school this morning,” said Shahirah Borhan, 20, when met today.

“I know that tomorrow is a school holiday due to it being Malaysia Day. Even my sibling didn’t know about the

schools being closed,” the school clerk added.

Salinawati Mohd Sharif, 30, said it was unfortunate that parents only got to know about the directive from the school, when they sent their children this morning.

“I was surprised. But at the same time, I am glad for the government’s decision. The haze is threatening the health of our children,” said Salinawati, who works in the private sector.

She was agreed by Norazila Md Nor, 24, who also expressed surprise at the news she received upon arriving at school this morning.

“I didn’t know about the closure today. We were only aware about tomorrow’s Malaysia Day holiday.

“But it’s good that schools are closed. The haze is really bad here,” she said.

In Malacca, the ministry’s directive affects a total of 152,000 students in 314 schools.

The directive was issued after the Air Pollutant Index (API) in Malacca exceeded 200, which categorised the air quality as very unhealthy.