The Ministry of Education will make sure that students affected by the air pollution in Pasir Gudang, Johor, are not left behind in their studies.

Its minister, Dr Maszlee Malik said the ministry has a standard operating (SOP) in this matter and previously dealt with a similar situation there before.

"The Johor Education Department has a good approach to tackling this issue. In fact, the ministry is following the development closely through information obtained from the state education office," he said, adding that other parties were also providing official updates on the situation.

Maszlee was speaking to reporters after officiating the national-level Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Colloquium at Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) here today.

Also present were Director-General of Higher Education Datin Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir and UMP vice-chancellor Professor Dr Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff.

The latest air pollution incident in Pasir Gudang occurred last Thursday, with many students suffering from breathing difficulties and vomiting.

All educational institutions in the Pasir Gudang district have been ordered to close until Thursday to allow authorities to work on clearing the pollution.

Asked about parents who want to take action, including legal suits, against those responsible for the pollution, Maszlee said it was up to them and not the ministry.

“The ministry is only responsible for what happens within the school compound, such as the education and safety of students. Outside, the parents have a right to do whatever they want (including taking legal action),” he said.

Meanwhile, Maszlee said the ministry had discussed with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad about the additional allocation for the teaching and learning of science, which may be announced at a later date.

He said the additional allocation was important to achieve the 60:40 Science/Technical:Arts Policy, as last year only 44 per cent of students in the country opted for STEM studies.

- Bernama