Schools in several Sarawak districts to close for two days over haze

KUCHING – Schools under the Kuching, Padawan, Serian, Samarahan, Bau, Lundu, Sri Aman and Lubok Antu district education offices in Sarawak, Malaysia have been ordered to close temporarily for two days starting Aug 20 due to the haze.The state Education Department said the closure takes effect immediately and will last until Aug 21.“This decision is a precautionary measure to protect the safety, health and welfare of students and school staff, particularly from the risk of exposure to unhealthy air,” it said in a statement on its Facebook page.The department said home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) will be implemented during the closure to ensure that students’ learning remains uninterrupted.Updates on the closure and reopening of schools will be notified through the official channels of the department and district education offices.As at 1pm on Aug 20, Serian recorded the highest air pollutant index (API) reading of 193, followed closely by Kuching with 190, while Samarahan was 173.According to the National Haze Action Plan, schools will be closed immediately when the API exceeds 200, which is categorised as very unhealthy.This is the second time in two weeks that schools in Sarawak have been closed due to the haze.Last week, schools in Serian division were closed for three days when the API briefly exceeded 200. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK