PETALING JAYA, Oct 22 — The haze is a blessing in disguise for some parents as they get to spend more time with their children due to schools being closure. However, there are parents who fear that their children will lose out.

Teacher Selvamani Simanchalam, 43, said she felt like it was a break well-deserved for her son, Tejandra Rao, seven, and nieces, Sueleqa Rao, 15, and Kushaalya Rao, 12, who have just completed their Form Three Assessment and Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah examinations.

“This is the my son’s first year of school so I don’t want him to be overwhelmed, and my nieces just sat for their examinations. I feel like the break is good for them,” she said.

Housewife Maggie Yip, 46, said the schools closure gave her ample time to do workbook exercises with her daughter, Charlotte Chua, seven, and from there she could assess her performance in school.

“I send her to school everyday but I do not know how well she is doing in her studies and she would be too tired to tell me about it during school days. So, when I get some alone time with her like this, I appreciate it,” she said.

Some, however, wish the schools had given homework for the children so they could spend their time beneficially.

Lab assistant Mohd Faizal Yunus, 38, said he was not worried about his son, Faqer Qayyum, 13, missing out on lessons as he was completing his workbooks under his mother’s supervisions.

“My son happens to be a hard working student. In fact, he is getting bored of the workbooks and complains about not having schoolwork to do,” he said.

Receptionist M. Anitha, 48, suggested that teachers assigned sufficient homework to ensure students did not fall behind in their studies.

She also called the closure a nuisance as she would not be able to bring her son to work every day, as she did yesterday.

“I want him to have something educational to fill his time with. It’s fine that he is at home, out of the haze, but I don’t want him to stop learning,” she said.