409 schools in Sarawak closed due to haze

KUCHING: Some 409 schools in Sarawak have been ordered to close on Tuesday (Sept 10) due to the haze.

As at 10am, they comprise 62 secondary and 347 primary schools in Betong, Bau, Kuching, Lubok Antu, Padawan, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman and Lundu districts, said the state Education Department in a statement.

A total of 157,479 students are affected by the closure.

However, the department said the UPSR examination was proceeding smoothly as scheduled.

Before this on Monday (Sept 9), the department had issued a directive that schools in areas with air pollutant index (API) levels above 200 should be closed immediately.

It also said public examinations would be postponed if the API exceeded 300.

At noon on Tuesday, the API across Sarawak ranged from moderate to unhealthy, with Sri Aman recording the highest API reading at 190.

The API issued by the Department of Environment comprises the following categories: Good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (301 and above).