591 schools closed in Malaysia due to smog. Nearly 200,000 students forced to study from home
Students will move to home-based lessons while officials monitor air quality and issue reopening updates through official channels.
reede, 21. august 2026 10:06
Sarawak authorities ordered 591 primary and secondary schools across 10 districts to close for two days from Thursday as worsening haze hit the East Malaysian state, affecting 197,323 students, Channel News Asia reported.
The Sarawak Education Department said the closure covers schools in Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Serian, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu and Betong. “The decision is a precautionary measure to protect the safety, health and welfare of students, particularly from the risk of exposure to unhealthy air,” it said.
The department said 107,590 students from 509 primary schools and 89,733 students from 82 secondary schools are affected. Home-based teaching and learning will be implemented, and updates on the closure period and school reopenings will be issued through official channels and district education offices.
It is the second school closure in Sarawak this month due to haze. Schools in Serian shut for three days last week after air pollutant index levels briefly exceeded 200; the API scale classifies 201 to 300 as very unhealthy and readings above 300 as hazardous.
Serian recorded an API reading of 239 as of 11am on Friday, which Sarawak’s Natural Resources and Environment Board categorised as “very unhealthy”. The Star reported Thursday readings of 193 in Serian, 190 in Kuching and 173 in Samarahan.
Sarawak environment officials warned hazy conditions could persist over the weekend if biomass burning continues. The state environment board, citing ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre data, said 7,286 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan from Aug 1 to 19, compared with 148 in Sarawak, and said “moderate to dense transboundary smoke” from West Kalimantan was drifting northwards into parts of western Sarawak.
Toeta nwsTraili
nwsTrail on sõltumatu välisuudiste veebileht. Sinu toetus aitab hoida sisu tasuta.
