All schools nationwide have been ordered to suspend all water-based co-curricular activities with immediate effect following the death of a teacher from rat urine infection in Kedah, yesterday.

Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid said the temporary suspension will be enforced while a study is conducted by a special committee from the ministry on the issue.

"The ministry has decided to suspend all co-curricular activities involving water, such as at rivers, waterfalls or areas prone to attacks (rat urine infection) like this.

"We will do a study, we did not expect this incident to be so serious, so I requested the director of education and the ministry's task force to study the matter, and only after that we will consider when to allow the activities to resume," he said after attending the Padang Terap Umno division delagates' meeting in Kuala Nerang, today.

Yesterday, a teacher from SMK Tunku Seri Indera Putera, Ayer Hitam, Mohd Yusri Yaccob, died at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah after he was believed to have contracted leptospirosis.

He had reportedly visited Sungai Ketil on July 15, along with several teachers and students for kayaking and mountain-climbing activities in the area.

However, Mahdzir said the directive would only apply to water-based activities, so all other outdoor activities could be carried out as usual.

Meanwhile, Mahdzir in a statement said all school principals and headmasters had been asked to adhere to the decision and not to organise any water-based programmes and activities during the suspension period.

"The decision on the suspension was made after taking into consideration all factors concerning the safety and health of students and teachers involved in such activities, be it during or outside school hours," he said.

He said the teacher who died last night was believed to have been infected with the virus while participating in the state-level 1Malaysia Secondary School Outdoor Education programme from July 17 to 20 at the Baling Co-curriculum Centre (Jerai Camp).

- Bernama