ALOR STAR: No school under the Education Ministry has been closed due to the hot weather.
Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying said the schools in areas that experienced temperatures between 35°C and 37°C for three days running should inform the state Education Department (JPN) and apply for temporary closure, as stated in the ministry's circular.
"All school administrators are reminded to take precautionary measures and to consistently monitor the daily weather conditions.
"If it exceeds 38°C for three consecutive days, they should inform JPN to apply for temporary closure.
"To prevent any untoward incident, the ministry has ordered for all outdoor activities, including co-curricular and sports activities, in schools nationwide to be temporarily suspended," she told reporters during a visit to SK Taman Rakyat here today.
Lim urged school administrators to allow students to wear sports attire and to drop the neckties for male students during the hot spell, as per the special permission granted by the ministry.
"We wish to remind students to consume more water during this hot spell and to limit outdoor activities to reduce their exposure to the heat.
"Our utmost priority is the safety of our students and everyone in our school."
Lim, who is on a working visit to four primary schools here, announced that the ministry had approved a RM700,000 allocation for four schools to carry out maintenance work.
"I wish to announce a RM200,000 allocation for SJKC Peng Min in Pekan Simpang Kuala, RM150,000 for SJKC Keat Hwa (S), RM200,000 for SJKT Barathy and RM150,000 for SK Taman Rakyat.
"The ministry approved the allocations as the four schools are more than 70 years old and require a lot of maintenance."
It was reported yesterday that the Education Ministry granted special permission for students and teachers to wear sports attire in school during the hot spell.
The ministry, in a circular, said the decision was made to avoid health complications due to the hot weather.
The hot weather, it added, could cause heatwaves that may lead to health issues such as hyperthermia, heatstroke and dehydration.
It also advised teachers and the school administration to remind headmasters and principals to monitor the weather conditions to ensure immediate action was taken to safeguard the wellbeing of students, teachers and staff members.