JOHOR BAHRU (Oct 25): Schools in Johor will reopen in phases, with the first phase on Monday (Oct 26) and Tuesday (Oct 27) limited to students sitting for examinations according to the scheduled timetable.

State Education and Information Committee chairman Dr Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali said the decision was made following the decree of the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, who places great importance on the safety, health and well-being of the people of Johor.

He said the arrangement would also give school administrators and teachers time to prepare for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Ujian Akhir Sesi Akademik (Uasa) examinations.

“The second phase will begin on Wednesday, when all schools throughout Johor are scheduled to resume full operations as usual, subject to developments in air quality,” he said in a statement Sunday.

Muhammad Naqib said the Johor State Education Department (JPNJ) would coordinate the implementation of health and safety standard operating procedures (SOPs), including the wearing of face masks and monitoring of school activities, based on current air pollutant index (API) readings.

He said the state government and relevant agencies would continue to monitor the haze situation closely to ensure that any necessary action could be taken based on assessments of prevailing conditions.

On Saturday (Oct 24), the Johor state government decided that all educational institutions would resume operations on Monday, after taking into account developments in the haze situation and assessments by the relevant agencies.

As of 4pm on Sunday, only two districts in Johor recorded unhealthy API readings, namely Pasir Gudang at 154 and Batu Pahat at 127.

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