KUCHING, Sept 9 — All schools in Sarawak where the Air Pollutant Index (API) have exceeded 200 will close tomorrow until further notice, the state Education Department said in a statement today.
However, examinations such as Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) will proceed, with schools and parents told to take extra measures to protect the health and safety of the students, the department said.
It said while in schools, the students must remain indoors and as soon as they have completed their examination, they must return home immediately.
The department said the closure of schools is in accordance with a circular issued by the Ministry of Education on January 15 this year pertaining to the occurrence of haze.
At 4pm today, the Kuching and Sri Aman districts recorded an API reading of 248, which is categorised as being ‘very unhealthy’.
The Samarahan district recorded an API reading of 199, Sarikei, 154 and Sibu, 127, categorised as being ‘unhealthy’.
The API readings for other districts are moderate at below 100.
The department reminded headmasters and principals to inform the district education offices on the closure of their schools.
It said if the API reading in their areas exceeds 100, headmasters and principles must ensure that their students are not allowed to take part in outdoor activities.
The department also said that all schools are required to close if the API reading in their areas breach 300 at a level categorised as ‘hazardous’.
It said the Examination Board can also postpone the examination to a later date until the API falls below 300.
