PATRICK LEE The Star 15 Sep 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of citizens are planning to march to the Indonesian Embassy on Friday to protest the haze currently engulfing Malaysia.
The group plans on gathering at the KLCC Park at 9am Friday before marching to the embassy some 2km away.
In a Facebook post addressed to Indonesian president Joko Widodo, they demanded that Indonesia deal with the problem right away.
"We note that this year the haze is as bad as ever, with the unhealthy air quality forcing our authorities to shut schools in four states and divert dozens of flights.
"This is despite the fact that your government finally signed the Asean Haze Agreement after a 14-year delay," it read.
It added that if Indonesia did not deal with the problem, then the group would take the fight to plantation companies it claimed were responsible for the haze.
Lead organiser Lim Teck Wyn said he came up with the idea because he was sick of the haze.
"I'm organising it because I got a bit of a cough. I miss the blue skies and clear air," he said.
He added that he wasn't expecting a large crowd on Friday, and as such wasn't "too worried" about disturbing traffic.
When asked if he informed police of the march, Lim said he was in the midst of doing that.
He said that handing over the memorandum would be the first step, and was not optimistic that the problem would be solved soon.
At 5pm, Terengganu's Kemaman recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index readings in the country at 192.
Large parts of the Peninsular and Sarawak have also been shrouded by haze.
Many unhappy about being told of closures at the eleventh hour
The Star 16 Sep 15;
PETALING JAYA: Parents and teachers were relieved with the Education Ministry’s decision to close schools due to the haze but many were unhappy with being told only at the eleventh hour.
Corporate training manager Jacqueline Ambrose, 43, said she expected an announcement on Sunday night after a weekend of bad haze.
“We are relieved that schools are closed but the notice was a little late in coming, seeing that the haze was visibly critical from Saturday itself.
“We are disappointed that the Government dallied in deciding to keep our children out of school and indoors,” said Jacqueline whose children are 14 and 12 years old.
The Education Ministry announced just before midnight on Monday that schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negri Sembilan and Malacca would be closed. The ministry said it had no choice but to make the snap decision to close schools when the Air Pollutant Index (API) reached 195 on Monday night.
Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the ministry issued the announcement at 11.30pm.
Some parents only learnt of the move through social media or friends while others received word from their school administrations.
“The announcement was done late at night.
“How many parents, especially those with children studying in morning session like me would be up at that hour?” housewife Lynn Lee, 37 asked, adding that she had woken up at night to read a WhatsApp message on the closure from a friend.
Rachel, a 35-year-old secondary school teacher in Kuala Lumpur said there were many students who went to school yesterday only to be told to go back home.
She said things were already bad last week and the school did not have any outdoor activities due to the haze.
“However in our school, the classroom’s windows and doors are wide open so we are all exposed to the haze during the school hours.
“I pity my students, they were rather tired and some were falling sick,” she added.
In Ampangan, Seremban, self-employed Abdul Nasir Abdullah, 53, said the announcement came too late.
“The authorities should be more sensitive to these things,” he said adding that his wife who ran a food stall near a school near here lost business as most of her customers, including parents, did not turn up following the closure.
In Shah Alam, Helena, a teacher with an international school, said her principal e-mailed her around 1am to inform the teachers on the ministry’s decision.
“My principal said the teachers are required to stand by in school, just in case parents send their children to school.
“At about 4am, I received another e-mail from the administration stating that parents were notified about the closure,” said Helena.
“The teachers attended a briefing and were told to email the homework for today as well as Thursday, in case the school remains closed,” said Helena, adding that teachers were allowed to go home shortly after that.
Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali said that a few schoolbus drivers complained about the lack of notice but were glad that schools were shut.
“Driving around in the haze endangers both drivers and pupils. While the timing caught us offguard, the decision was welcome.”
Ministry leaving it to experts on when to close schools
The Star 16 Sep 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will leave it to experts to decide on the haze levels that should lead to school closure.
Under current regulations, no outdoor activity is allowed in schools when the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings hit 150 (unhealthy). Schools are closed when it reaches 200 (very unhealthy).
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid agreed that these levels needed to be looked at again.
He will be seeking the advice of a review team which will include experts from MetMalaysia along with the health, environment and education ministries.
“We are leaving it to them to make a decision,” said Mahdzir at the Teacher Training Institute in Lembah Pantai yesterday.
Over 1.5 million students were affected by yesterday’s closure of 2,045 schools in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur. The ruling also affected international schools.
Mahdzir defended the eleventh hour decision on Monday night which left some parents fuming.
He pointed out the decision was made at 11.30pm when API readings were at 195 and were expected to rise further.
“We cannot plan when the haze happens. It’s almost like a natural disaster. If it could be planned I would make the announcement (about the closures) at 6pm for the convenience of these parents.”
Mahdzir said the ministry would announce when schools will reopen and urged parents to monitor news reports for latest developments.
The ministry is also closely monitoring API readings in Perak, Pahang and Terengganu which were also rising.
A circular on hot weather precautions – drinking adequate water and using masks – has been issued to protect students in the three states. The ministry is also mulling on whether to order replacement classes for yesterday’s closure.
In Alor Gajah, 313 schools in Malacca were closed after air pollutant levels neared the very unhealthy level yesterday.
“We are waiting for further directives from the ministry to keep the schools closed after Sept 16 if the API remains unhealthy,” Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said.
One parent Low Sai May, 36 said the Education Ministry should not wait for the API to hit 200 before deciding to close.
“This is a question of children’s health. The decision to close should be made once it reaches 150,” she said.
In Johor Baru, the state Education Department directed all schools to refrain from conducting outdoor lessons and activities. Its director Aminnudin Adam said they were keeping tabs on the API readings on an hourly basis and updating the schools on the situation.
