Malaysia closes schools in several states and the capital as haze worsens
Malaysia closed schools on Friday 9 October in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and several states as haze from Indonesian fires pushed air quality to unhealthy levels. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said closures would be announced earlier in future.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Malaysia closed schools in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the country on Friday 9 October because haze from fires in neighbouring Indonesia pushed air quality to unhealthy levels. Arab NewsRC “Malaysia closed schools in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the country on Friday, the education ministry said, as haze from fires in neighboring Indonesia pushed air quality to unhealthy levels.” Read at Arab News ↗ CNAN “Schools across Malaysia were closed on Friday (Oct 9) due to worsening haze and deteriorating air quality in the country” Read at CNA ↗ Mixed · 2Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the closures covered Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, plus Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya; schools in the Rompin district of Pahang were also closed. AFP described the ministry's list as fully or partially closed schools in five states and two federal territories. CNAN “The areas affected include the states of Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, as well as the country's capital Kuala Lumpur and its administrative centre Putrajaya”“Schools in the Rompin district in the state of Pahang were also closed.” Read at CNA ↗ Arab NewsRC “which listed fully or partially closed schools in five states, as well as two federal territories” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2Fadhlina said she had told state and district education offices to keep monitoring the haze and act immediately if needed. She acknowledged that closures disrupt parents' routines and promised that future closures would be announced in advance so parents have time to prepare. Arab NewsRC “In the future, we will ensure that any decision to close schools is notified in advance so that parents have sufficient time to prepare,” Read at Arab News ↗ CNAN “The minister said she understood that the school closures would affect the parents’ daily routines and arrangements.” Read at CNA ↗
Mixed · 2On Friday morning 37 areas recorded unhealthy readings on the Air Pollutant Index (API), according to government data, and Kuala Lumpur showed about 170. Malaysian guidelines classify 101 to 200 as unhealthy, above 200 as very unhealthy and above 300 as hazardous; AFP adds that readings beyond 500 are the threshold for declaring a local emergency. CNAN “On Friday morning, 37 areas recorded unhealthy API levels, according to government data.” Read at CNA ↗ Arab NewsRC “Kuala Lumpur on Friday showed a reading of around 170 API.”“readings beyond 500 constitute the threshold for declaring a local emergency” Read at Arab News ↗ Right · 1Swiss-based monitor IQAir ranked Kuala Lumpur the second most polluted city globally behind Singapore, according to AFP. Arab NewsRC “The city was the second-most polluted globally behind neighboring Singapore, Swiss-based air monitor IQAir said.” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2The king, Sultan Ibrahim, weighed in on Thursday, saying schools should close where API readings reached 150 or higher. The education ministry's director-general, Mohd Azam Ahmad, said it had heeded the king's advice, particularly for areas with readings between 150 and 180 for prolonged periods. Citing The Star, CNA reported that schools must close if the API exceeds 180 or stays above 150 for three consecutive days. Arab NewsRC “saying schools should be closed as air quality readings reached 150 or higher on the Air Pollutant Index (API)” Read at Arab News ↗ CNAN “they had heeded the Malaysian king’s advice to close schools in affected areas, particularly where API readings have remained between 150 and 180 for prolonged periods.”“schools and education institutions would be required to close if API readings exceeded 180 or remained above 150 for three consecutive days” Read at CNA ↗
Centre · 1Affected schools must provide home-based learning, and teachers and support staff may work from home during the closures. CNAN “affected schools and educational institutions under the ministry were required to conduct home-based learning.” Read at CNA ↗ Centre · 1Johor closed all its schools for two days from Thursday as a precaution, the first state in Peninsular Malaysia to do so this haze season, after about 300 institutions in Batu Pahat closed on Wednesday when the API there reached the 'very unhealthy' range. Johor said assessments during the closure would be postponed. CNAN “Johor is the first state in Peninsular Malaysia to announce temporary school closures during this year’s haze season.”“the closure of around 300 educational institutions in Johor’s Batu Pahat district on Wednesday, after the API there reached the "very unhealthy" range” Read at CNA ↗ Centre · 1Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto had agreed to take necessary steps against the fires, with Malaysia ready to help. Anwar said he had asked the foreign minister to push for a meeting of ASEAN ministers to coordinate a regional response. CNAN “Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto had agreed to take necessary steps to combat the haze, with Malaysia ready to offer assistance.” Read at CNA ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- CNA gives a detailed domestic news report on the closures, the ministry's rules, Johor's earlier steps and Anwar's diplomatic push on Indonesia.
- Emphasis
- Closure thresholds, home-based learning, state-level decisions and regional coordination with Indonesia and ASEAN.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No international air-quality rankings such as IQAir.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Arab News ran AFP's short wire report, focused on the closures in the capital and on air-quality rankings.
- Emphasis
- Kuala Lumpur's ranking by IQAir, the king's remarks and API thresholds.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Johor's statewide closure, home-based learning or Anwar's talks with Prabowo.
- For example
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“Air quality in Kuala Lumpur remained firmly in “unhealthy levels” this week, with a Swiss-based air quality monitor ranking the Malaysian capital among the world’s most polluted cities on most days.” — Arab News
What every side reports
- Schools in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Malaysia closed on Friday 9 October because of haze from Indonesian fires.
- Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said future closures would be announced in advance.
- King Sultan Ibrahim urged schools to close when API readings reached about 150.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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CNAN ·
Sweeping school closures across Malaysia as haze worsens
Neutral Detailed, factual report on closures, official rules and the government response.
Right1 article
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Arab NewsRC · · via AFP
Malaysia closes schools in capital, parts of country due to haze
Neutral AFP wire copy giving a concise account of the closures and Kuala Lumpur's pollution ranking.
- 9 Oct 05:14 First CNAN Sweeping school closures across Malaysia as haze worsens
- 9 Oct 05:24 +10m Arab NewsRC Malaysia closes schools in capital, parts of country due to haze via AFP
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.