PUTRAJAYA: Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir (pic) has instructed higher education institutions (IPTs) to closely monitor the haze situation, mainly in Sabah and Sarawak, where conditions have been more serious.
He said the ministry had informed universities, polytechnics and community colleges to continuously monitor the situation and ensure learning activities follow directives issued by the government.
“We will ensure that every learning process for our students, wherever they are, is based on the directives issued by the government,” he said here yesterday.
Zambry said the ministry had yet to issue any specific update concerning the closure or disruption of its institutions due to the haze but would follow measures announced by the authorities, including those in Sarawak.
“Institutions in Sarawak, including universities, polytechnics and community colleges, will also be affected by such directives where applicable,” he said.
Asked if any institution had been affected so far, Zambry said they had taken precautionary measures, including adopting a more flexible approach to learning.
“If they cannot go to the lecture hall, then we conduct classes online,” he said.
Zambry also said the ministry was taking the death of a Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) student during a training programme at UiTM Jengka, Maran, seriously.
He said he had instructed UiTM to prepare a comprehensive report to determine the cause of the incident and identify the necessary follow-up measures.
“We take serious attention to every matter involving students who participate in programmes like this.
“As we know, the Kesatria Programme conducted at many other universities is part of an existing programme.
“I have asked UiTM to prepare a complete report for us to see what the causes are and also the subsequent actions that need to be taken,” he said.
He said lessons should be drawn from the incident to prevent a similar occurrence from happening.
“The most important thing in such circumstances is that we learn lessons so that it does not happen again,” he said.
According to the preliminary report received by the ministry, Zambry said the incident involved exposure to heat and excessive temperatures, which affected several students.
“This is because it is a training programme that is usually conducted and carried out every year,” he said.
