By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 20: Schools under the supervision of the Sarawak Education Department (JPN Sarawak) in Kuching, Padawan, Serian and Samarahan have been ordered to close immediately from today until Aug 21 due to worsening haze conditions.
In a statement today, the department said the decision was made as a precautionary measure to safeguard the safety, health and well-being of students and school personnel, particularly against exposure to unhealthy air.
During the closure, Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) will be implemented to ensure continuity of students’ education.
Any further developments on the duration of the closure and the reopening of schools will be announced through the official channels of JPN Sarawak and the respective District Education Offices.
The move comes as air quality across Sarawak has deteriorated, with the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) reporting nine areas in the unhealthy category as of 8am today.
The affected areas were Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu, Lundu, Tebedu and Lubok Antu, with Air Pollutant Index (API) readings ranging from 101 to 200.
Serian and Lubok Antu recorded the State’s highest API readings at 185, followed by Kuching at 180 and Lundu at 175. Samarahan recorded 163, while Sri Aman, Sarikei, Tebedu and Sibu registered 173, 153, 158 and 117 respectively.
The API classifies readings from 101 to 200 as unhealthy, meaning prolonged exposure to the prevailing air quality can pose greater health concerns, particularly for vulnerable groups.
The closure of schools in the four districts follows the worsening air quality in much of southern Sarawak, where several of the affected areas are located.
