More than 200,000 face masks have been handed over to the Selangor Education Department (JPN) for distribution to schoolchildren as haze continues to affect parts of the state.
Selangor disaster management committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi said priority would be given to haze-affected schools, particularly in districts where classes had to be suspended.
“Selangor JPN will distribute the face masks through the respective District Education Offices,” he said after handing over the three-ply masks to Selangor JPN Islamic Education Sector senior assistant director Mohd Norhisam Ahmad at the Selangor State Secretary’s Office in Section 5, Shah Alam, yesterday.
There are 947 primary and secondary government schools in Selangor.
Mohd Najwan, who represented Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari at the event, said the contribution was an initiative by the Selangor Disaster Management Unit, alongside Yayasan Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated, Yayasan Darul Islam and the state government.
“Although wearing face masks is not mandated by the government, we are distributing these as a precautionary measure and encourage students to wear them,” he added.
He said the state government would request regular updates from Selangor JPN to evaluate whether additional face masks were required.
Mohd Najwan also called on Selangor JPN to provide timely updates on the local haze situation and potential school closures to help parents plan accordingly.
Under Education Ministry guidelines, state education directors issue daily updates on school operations by 5.45pm on weekdays and by 2.45pm on weekends, based on the latest Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.
Mohd Najwan advised parents to monitor their children’s health, ensure adequate water intake and limit outdoor activities when air quality is poor.
On a separate matter, Mohd Najwan urged the Public Works Department to speed up its feasibility study and long-term plans to address traffic congestion at Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari in Alam Budiman, Shah Alam.
“I understand short- and medium-term plans are in progress, but local residents and I feel that a flyover would be a better and safer long-term solution,” said the Kota Anggerik assemblyman.
“However, when it comes to traffic and accidents, driver attitude also plays a factor, such as whether he or she was driving under the influence.”
He was commenting on a multi-vehicle accident on Oct 9 involving a lorry and 11 other vehicles at the traffic lights along Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari.
The 51-year-old lorry driver later tested positive for drugs.
Shah Alam police said preliminary investigations found that the driver claimed to have suffered brake failure while travelling downhill from Puncak Perdana towards Puncak Alam at about 4.20pm.
The lorry then veered into oncoming traffic before crashing into 11 vehicles stopped at the Alam Budiman three-way junction.
