PUTRAJAYA: Teaching and learning sessions will be undertaken via the Internet if schools remain closed due to the haze, said Education Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching yesterday.
“If this (haze) continues, we will take the same action adopted during the incident in Pasir Gudang (Johor), that is to request teachers to continue with online teaching and learning sessions,” she said referring to the closure of schools a few months ago owing to incidents of pollution.
The minister added that teachers at schools which are currently closed, had already been asked to give their students tasks via the Google Classroom application.
Schools in several states across the country have been closed for a few days as Air Pollutant Index (API) readings issued by the Department of Environment, breached the ‘very unhealthy’ category which starts at 200, in these areas.
The API comprises the following categories: good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (301 onwards).
Speaking to the media after attending the prize-giving ceremony for essay writing competition ‘DKLS Linguistic Ambassador Award’, Teo said the ministry was monitoring the haze, particularly in view of the Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) written examination for Form Three students, scheduled to begin on Sept 30.
The annual competition which attracted 20,582 participants this year, compared to the 8,529 participants in 2016 when it was launched, is aimed at promoting English language excellence among Form Four and Five students by strengthening their command of the language and creative writing skills. – Bernama
