Standardise flu guidelines

MALACCA: The Education Ministry will seek the National Security Council’s help to come out with standard guidelines concerning temporary closure of schools in an effort to minimise the transmission of Influenza A (H1N1).

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said differing sets of standards were currently being adopted by state health authorities and this had led to inconsistency in the number of schools closed from state to state.

Citing an example, he said Malacca had 82 schools closed, the highest in the country, since the influenza was detected, compared to Johor which had two.

“Only one death and one positive case were recorded in schools in Malacca, compared with two in Johor,” he told reporters after attending a briefing at the Malacca Education Department here yesterday.

Presently, Malacca used a “very conservative approach” in dealing with the A (H1N1) situation, by strictly adhering to the Health Ministry’s 5% rule to automatically seek the temporary closure of a school.

Under the ministry’s mitigation phase, health authorities can order the temporary closure of a school, institution or organisation if 5% of its population shows signs of flu.

Dr Wee said the matter would be brought up to the Prime Minister, who chairs the National Security Council for a decision soon.

The Education Ministry, he said, would hold its 3K Committee (Cleanliness, Health and Safety Committee) meeting later this week to decide on what sort of school activities and gatherings should be cancelled.

Dr Wee also said Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) were free to voice their views on the Government’s reversal of the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English policy.

He was referring to an appeal letter addressed to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak by 12 PTAs from Malacca for English to be used to teach the subjects.

“They are entitled to their views and we cannot stop them.”