Haze forces school closures in Serian, Sri Aman and Lubok Antu

KUCHING: All primary and secondary schools under the Serian, Sri Aman and Lubok Antu district education offices will close temporarily on Wednesday (Oct 14) due to haze, with lessons shifting to home based learning.

The Sarawak Education Department said scheduled examinations and assessments would proceed despite the closure.

“The decision was based on continuous monitoring, Air Pollutant Index (API) readings recorded as at 2pm today (Oct 13) and reports issued by the Malaysian Meteorological Department,” it said in a statement on today (Oct 13).

The department said home based teaching and learning would follow the Education Ministry’s guidelines on managing learning during disasters, while teachers and support staff would be allowed to work from home throughout the closure.

The activities proceeding as scheduled are the Special School Admission Assessment (PKSK), Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) examination and Year Six Sarawak Dual Language Programme Assessment (UP-DLPS 6).

Further information and instructions on these assessments and examinations will be available through the department’s official Facebook page.

For schools near districts recording API readings above 150, headmasters and principals may consider home based learning after taking pupils’ health and safety into account.

School heads may also begin preparations to reopen their schools if API readings show a downward trend and fall below 150.

The department advised all educational institutions under its supervision to monitor air quality in their respective areas through the Department of Environment’s Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal and follow Health Ministry advice.

“JPN Sarawak places great importance on the health, safety and wellbeing of all members of its education community,” it said.