Significant improvement in the Air Pollutant Index (API) today will see 80,282 primary and secondary students from 204 schools in Muar returning to school tomorrow, provided the condition remains.

Johor Education Department director Sufaat Tumin said since the API had dropped this afternoon, the department hopes classes that were disrupted due to the haze today, would resume as usual tomorrow.

"The leave announced today will not disrupt their studies because the department will decide on a suitable date to replace the classes," he told reporters here today.

Sufaat said principals and headmasters would use their discretion to determine the process of classes to ensure students are not exposed to the dangers of the haze.

He added that a directive had already been issued to all schools to avoid teaching or activities outside the classrooms.

In Putrajaya, Natural Resources and Environment minister Douglas Uggah Embas said the API in Muar, Johor had dropped to 90 compared with the 432 recorded yesterday, which was dangerous.

He added that API readings at 31 air quality monitoring stations throughout the country recorded good readings while another 21 registered moderate readings.

"We are happy that by 7am, the API in Muar had dropped to 90. It was a good development as the API had reached a dangerous level yesterday," he told reporters after launching the national environmental week here today.

Meanwhile, commenting on the experiment of genetically-modified Aedes mosquitoes, Douglas said the field trial would be done in two weeks and it could only be implemented after getting approval from the local community.

Therefore, he said the date to implement the trial had not been fixed.

He said Bentong in Pahang and Alor Gajah, Malacca had been identified as two places to start the project before expanding it nationwide.

- Bernama