Malaysia Says Home-Based Learning During Heatwave Will Not Disrupt Education
Malaysia’s Ministry of Education has said that temporary shifts to Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran di Rumah (PdPR), or home-based teaching and learning, during periods of extreme heat will not disrupt educational outcomes. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh noted that the approach has been used successfully since the COVID-19 pandemic and remains an established mechanism to maintain learning continuity while protecting students’ wellbeing. According to a report by Bernama, the ministry considers PdPR an effective alternative when schools must respond to environmental or emergency conditions.
Speaking at a press conference following the Taiping Municipal Council oath-taking ceremony on 30 March, Wong explained that PdPR is already familiar to schools across the country. The system was widely implemented during the pandemic and has since been used in other situations, including natural disasters that temporarily disrupt classroom teaching.
He said the ministry’s priority during extreme weather is to ensure students’ health and welfare while maintaining educational continuity. Schools are therefore expected to switch between in-person teaching and PdPR as required by local conditions.
“Of course, PdPR learning is not new to us, it has been around since the COVID era. Last year, there was also a storm disaster in Selangor, and several schools held PdPR for more than a month. PdPR is not a problem, but what is important when we want to address this issue is to ensure that the health and welfare of our children is given priority.” — Wong Kah Woh, Deputy Education Minister, Malaysia
Heatwave prompts temporary shift to home-based learning
The Kedah State Education Department recently implemented PdPR for three days beginning 29 March, affecting 206 schools in the districts of Kota Setar and Pendang. The decision followed temperature readings that reached Level 2 heatwave conditions for three consecutive days.
Education authorities said such measures allow schools to respond quickly to health risks without halting instruction. Wong added that the ministry has not received any reports of heat stroke involving students in schools so far.
Digital readiness supports continuity of learning
The continued use of PdPR reflects Malaysia’s broader efforts to strengthen digital learning capabilities across the education system. Recent initiatives aimed at expanding access to digital tools and online teaching platforms have helped schools adapt more easily to hybrid and remote learning models.
For example, programmes highlighted in efforts to strengthen digital learning in SJKT schools demonstrate how technology is being integrated into classroom and remote teaching environments. Similar initiatives are supporting digital adoption in religious education settings, including projects where technology empowers Johor’s faith-based schools.
These developments align with wider government strategies to modernise education and prepare students for emerging technologies, including national efforts where ministries are working together to strengthen global AI education collaboration. In this context, PdPR is increasingly viewed as one component of a more flexible and digitally enabled learning system.
Officials say schools remain ready to implement either classroom-based learning or PdPR depending on local conditions, ensuring that education can continue safely during periods of extreme weather or other disruptions.
