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Schools in Kuching, Padawan, Serian, Samarahan ordered to close until Aug 21 amid haze

All primary and secondary schools under 10 District Education Offices in Sarawak, including Kuching, Padawan, Serian, and Samarahan, will resume classes tomorrow after API readings improved. The Sarawak State Education Department outlined precautionary measures, including suspending outdoor activities if API exceeds 100 and closing schools if it exceeds 200.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 1 article Version 2 Coverage Aug 23, 2026 Published 2d ago

Schools in 10 Sarawak districts to reopen tomorrow

All primary and secondary schools under the 10 District Education Offices (PPDs) in Sarawak will operate as usual from tomorrow (Aug 24), following improvements in Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, the Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) announced today.

The decision covers schools under the PPDs of Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Serian, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, and Betong. JPNS said the reopening was based on API readings recorded at 10am today through the Department of Environment's Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).

"Any changes or latest information will be announced from time to time," the department said in a statement.

Precautionary measures outlined

JPNS reminded schools to take precautionary measures if haze affects their respective areas, reiterating guidelines from the Ministry of Education Circular No. 1 of 2019 on addressing critical haze conditions.

"All outdoor activities involving students should be suspended if the API reading exceeds 100, while schools in affected areas or districts must be closed immediately if the reading exceeds 200," the statement read.

The department added that if the API reading exceeds 500, teachers and school staff would not be required to report to school.

Reopening conditions and monitoring

The reopening of schools is subject to API readings remaining below 200, with preparations for reopening possible if readings show a downward trend below the threshold. JPNS noted that temporary closures may also be carried out based on recommendations by the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) from time to time.

Educational institutions were advised to monitor API levels via the APIMS portal or the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) website. JPNS also reminded PPDs and schools to monitor activities that could expose students to hot or hazy conditions, ensure sufficient clean drinking water, and encourage students to bring their own water.

"Students are also advised to wear nasal masks and drink sufficient water frequently, while boarding schools should provide drinking water if conditions become critical and no other sources are available," the statement said.

Health precautions

JPNS advised all educational institutions to cooperate with nearby clinics and hospitals should students experience complications arising from haze. Schools were encouraged to facilitate health checks for students and take necessary precautions to safeguard their well-being during the ongoing haze season.

How this outlet told it

Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC

Framing: Emphasizes reopening of schools in 10 districts as API improves, omits the closure that preceded it or the number of schools closed. — Instructive and procedural, focusing on official guidelines. Quote: 'Any changes or latest information will be announced from time to time.'

Facts Included:

Schools under 10 District Education Offices (PPDs) in Sarawak will resume classes from tomorrow
API readings improved, based on 10am readings through APIMS
Outdoor activities suspended if API exceeds 100; schools close if API exceeds 200; staff not required to report if API exceeds 500
Reopening subject to API remaining below 200
Temporary closures may be recommended by SDMC
Advice on water, masks, clinic cooperation, and Ministry of Education Circular No. 1 of 2019
Mentions monitoring via APIMS portal or NREB website

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimAll primary and secondary schools under the 10 District Education Offices (PPDs) in Sarawak will operate as usual from tomorrow (Aug 24), following improvements in Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) said the decision to reopen schools was based on API readings recorded at 10am today through the Department of Environment's API Management System (APIMS).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimAll outdoor activities involving students should be suspended if the API reading exceeds 100.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimSchools in affected areas or districts must be closed if the API reading exceeds 200.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) said that if API reading exceeds 500, teachers and school staff would not be required to report to school.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe reopening of schools under the 10 PPDs in Sarawak is subject to API readings remaining below 200.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) may recommend temporary closures of schools from time to time.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) reminded schools to close if API readings exceed 200, and to suspend outdoor activities if API readings exceed 100.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe schools under the 10 PPDs are: Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Samarahan, Simunjan, Serian, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, and Betong.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak Education Department reminded schools to comply with guidelines in the Ministry of Education Circular No. 1 of 2019 on measures to address critical haze.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimAll primary and secondary schools in Sarawak under the 10 District Education Offices (PPDs) will reopen as scheduled, subject to API readings remaining below 200.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimAll primary and secondary schools under the 10 PPDs in Sarawak will resume classes from tomorrow (Aug 24).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) advised educational institutions to monitor API levels via the APIMS portal or the NREB website.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe reopening of schools in Sarawak was subject to API readings remaining below 200, with preparations for reopening if the trend is downward.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) said the reopening of schools was subject to API readings remaining below 200.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) reminded educational institutions to monitor activities that could expose students to haze, ensure clean drinking water, and take precautions.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) advised students to wear nasal masks and cooperate with clinics for health checks.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) said that temporary closures may also be carried out based on recommendations by the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) advised boarding schools to provide drinking water and ensure students bring their own water.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Malay Mail as of Aug 23, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 1 article consulted: Malay Mail 19 claims extracted Version 2 Written 2026-08-23