ALOR GAJAH: Media report claiming that 21 of the 27 Institutes of Teacher Education (IPGs) will be closed in stages beginning next year is untrue as it refers to the decision of the previous government, says Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik.
He said the proposed closure of the IPGs was completely irrelevant and did not refer to the current government’s policies.
“We ask the party responsible (of such statement) to consult with us first before issuing any untrue statement.
“The statement is inaccurate as it refers to the policy of the previous administration and not of the current government’s,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Rahmat in Kuala Sungai Baru here today.
A daily today quoted an unnamed source as saying that there was a proposal to close down 21 of the 27 IPGs in stages, beginning next year and this year marked the final intake of the students.
Meanwhile, in another development, Maszlee said that the education department in every state would ensure that the haze situation in the country did not affect the students’ health and to keep in close contact with various departments including the Department of Environment (DoE) to monitor the current haze situation at the schools.
“Education department in every state has its own standard operating procedure (SOP) pertaining to haze which will ensure that once the school’s air quality readings reach certain level, it will be closed. So consult your respective state’s education department.
“We discourage outside activities (during haze) and please drink plenty of water and keep it safe,” he said.
He said what was important at the moment was that everyone involved including the state education department to implement the highest level of efforts to safeguard the well-being of students and teachers.
A check at the DoE’s website found that Air Pollution Index (API) readings here (Alor Gajah) and in Bukit Rambai, Melaka Tengah, as of 2 pm recorded unhealthy air quality at 101 and 102, respectively. – Bernama
