Full Breakdown
Haze Crisis Forces Massive School Closures Across Indonesia
9/10/2026, 4:45:10 AM
The Emergency Shift to Remote Learning
On September 3 2026, Palembang mayor Ratu Dewa ordered all schools from kindergarten to junior high to move online after air-quality readings reached unhealthy levels. The measure affected more than 250,000 students at 1,030 schools and will be reviewed daily. Similar directives have been issued in West Kalimantan, where roughly 200,000 pupils are learning from home, and across Sumatra and Borneo, where government data show 12,800 schools remain closed.
Background: El Niño-Driven Drought and Fires
Indonesia’s forest and peatland fires have intensified this year due to a strong El Niño pattern and an extended dry season. Satellite monitoring from the Ministry of Forestry’s SiPongi system recorded 2,459 hot spots in Central Kalimantan, 1,445 in South Sumatra, and 928 in West Kalimantan. The haze has drifted over 800 km to the Philippines and breached Malaysia’s emergency-level threshold, prompting a state of emergency in Sarawak.
Scale of Disruption
- 1.4 million students nationwide have shifted to remote learning (Save the Children).
- Air-quality index in Pontianak (West Kalimantan) exceeded 900, three times the hazardous level.
- In Banjarbaru (South Kalimantan), particulate concentrations reached 389.4 µg/m³, above the national danger threshold of 250.5 µg/m³.
- Health Ministry records show 15.7 million acute respiratory infection cases since the start of the year, with weekly spikes of 400,000 new cases at the peak of the blazes.
Official Statements & Responses
Mayor Dewa said “students’ health and safety remained the government’s priority” and instructed teachers to limit excessive assignments. Save the Children’s regional director for Asia, Arshad Malik, called the situation a “child-rights crisis” driven by haze from wildfires. Health official Iwansyah, head of the Kubu Raya regency health agency, reported more than 1,400 people treated for acute respiratory infections in September and warned that mask stocks are dwindling, prompting daily distribution of roughly 1,000 masks.
On-the-Ground Accounts
Teacher Syarifah Hatifah, vice-principal of a junior-high in Pontianak, noted many students lack stable internet or electricity, making live online sessions difficult. She added the school will provide extra lessons once classrooms reopen. Local clinics reported increased cases of cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the total number of schools closed: government data cite 12,800 schools across Sumatra and Borneo, while regional education ministries in West Kalimantan reference 200,000 pupils learning from home without specifying school counts. No single source provides a comprehensive list of all affected institutions, leaving the full scope of educational disruption unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Students’ health and safety remained the government’s priority,” — Ratu Dewa, mayor
- “The Earth, our home, is on fire, and children, including here in Asia, are being left to bear the consequences,” — Arshad Malik, Save the Children
- “Hopefully there will be rain between now and November,” — Iwansyah, health official
Why It Matters
The haze crisis threatens children’s right to education and health, with prolonged exposure to hazardous air potentially causing long-term respiratory problems. The transboundary smoke has strained diplomatic relations, forced emergency declarations in neighboring Malaysia, and prompted health alerts in the Philippines. Continued school closures risk widening learning gaps, especially for students lacking digital access, while the public-health burden strains Indonesia’s medical resources.
