PUTRAJAYA (Sept 18): All schools in Selangor, Penang, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur will be closed for two days from tomorrow, said the Ministry of Education.

In Selangor, the Selangor Disaster Management Committee has ordered all public and private schools in the state to close for two days from tomorrow due to the worsening haze condition.

The State Secretary's Office in a statement here said the closure order was made following the "unhealthy" and "very unhealthy" Air Pollutant Index readings in the State since yesterday.

The order was also issued to ensure that students' health was not compromised as long-term exposure to the haze could lead to respiratory problems, it said.

"The Selangor State Education Department and the district education offices should inform schools and parents in their respective areas on the closure immediately," the statement said.

All schools in Putrajaya will be closed tomorrow after the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading there was still at very unhealthy level.

Putrajaya Education director Farizah Ahmad said the schools were ordered to close after the API reading remained at 200 as of 5pm today.

Tomorrow will be the third consecutive day for schools in Putrajaya to close due to the haze.

In PENANG, all 398 schools in the State have also been ordered to close tomorrow following the very unhealthy API reading.

State Education Department acting director Abdul Rashid Abdul Samad said the closure would involve 239,839 students.

He said as of 5 pm today, two areas recorded very unhealthy API readings namely Minden at 232 and Balik Pulau (260), while two areas recorded unhealthy air quality, namely Seberang Jaya (189) and Seberang Perai (193).

However, teachers and other staff members must report for duty as usual, he told Bernama here.

Meanwhile, state Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said Penang was expected to experience severe haze as no rain was forecast in the state for 10 days.

"Strong southwest monsoon blowing from Sumatra has also caused the haze in Penang to worsen," he added.

In PERAK all 147 schools in the Larut, Matang and Selama district will also be closed tomorrow, according to state Education Department director Dr Mohd Suhaimi Mohamed Ali.

He said the schools comprised 36 secondary schools and 111 primary schools involving 48,006 students.

Based on the Malaysian Air Pollution Index Management System (APIMS) portal, as at 5pm today, the API in Taiping recorded very unhealthy reading of 203.

A total of 303 schools in Manjung, Hilir Perak, Bagan Datuk and Perak Tengah were closed today due to 'very unhealthy' API readings in the respective areas.