By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 25: Twenty-seven schools in the Tebedu district will be closed tomorrow (Oct 26) due to haze, following continuous monitoring of Air Pollutant Index (API) readings and reports from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
The Sarawak Education Department (JPN) said the Oct 26 closure would involve one secondary school and 26 primary schools under its supervision.
“During the closure, Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) will be implemented, while teachers and Support Staff Group (AKP) will be allowed to work from home (WFH),” the department said in a statement today.
It added that the closure decision would also apply to all primary and secondary schools in districts recording API readings above 200 after the statement was issued.
However, face-to-face classes for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates would continue, subject to wearing face masks in line with examination management guidelines during disasters and haze.
The Sarawak JPN said that for schools in districts with API readings above 200, headmasters and principals could consider implementing PdPR, taking students’ health and safety into account.
It also said schools could prepare to reopen if API readings trended down to below 200.
All educational institutions under the department’s supervision are also reminded to monitor API readings through the Department of Environment’s (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal and comply with advice from the Ministry of Health to protect the health of students and members of the education community.
Meanwhile, parents and guardians may keep their children at home if they are concerned about the haze’s impact on their health, provided they inform the school.
Sarawak JPN also stressed that the health, safety and well-being of everyone in the education community remained its top priority.
According to the Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak (NREB), Tebedu recorded an API reading of 204, placing it under the ‘very unhealthy’ category, as of 12pm today. — DayakDaily
