Sarawak bishop questions why East Malaysian children had to endure toxic haze under stricter API 200 rule

The Ministry of Education's decision to lower the Air Pollutant Index (API) threshold for school closures from 200 to 180 has drawn criticisms for its timing and perceived double standards.

Rt Rev Datuk Danald Jute, president of the Sarawak Anglican Mission Schools Board, criticized the delay in implementing the revised threshold, highlighting the prolonged exposure of East Malaysian children to toxic haze.

He emphasized the need for consistent protection for all children and urged authorities to prioritize health policies based on scientific standards.

The initiative follows concerns from Malaysia's King about student health amid worsening haze conditions.

KUCHING, Oct 9 — The Ministry of Education’s (MoE) decision to lower the Air Pollutant Index (API) threshold for school closures from 200 to 180 has exposed a “glaring and unacceptable double standard”, said the Rt Rev Datuk Danald Jute.

While welcoming the measure, the Sarawak Anglican Mission Schools Board of Management president expressed frustration over its timing, noting that the revision was introduced only after haze conditions began affecting Peninsular Malaysia, despite East Malaysia having endured severe toxic haze under the previous threshold.

“For many months now, children, teachers, and staff across East Malaysia were forced to endure severe, toxic haze under a strict API 200 threshold,” he said in statement.

“Therefore, this reduction to 180, introduced only now as haze conditions impact Malaya, demands answers: Why were East Malaysian lungs subjected to a higher tolerance for toxic air? Why are strict health protections prioritised only when Malaya is affected?” he questioned.

Danald, who is also Anglican Bishop of Sarawak and Brunei, emphasised that authorities hold a sacred duty to safeguard the health and safety of every child regardless of geography.

“They all deserve the exact same protection, regardless of whether they are in Kuching, Miri, Kota Kinabalu, Johor, or Kuala Lumpur — regardless of which side of the South China Sea they call home,” he stressed.

He added that delayed empathy and geographic double standards serve to undermine true national unity and transparent governance.

To address this, Danald – as president of the board overseeing 50 mission schools in Sarawak – urged Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek, MoE, and the federal government to align public health and safety policies strictly with scientific standards rather than regional convenience.

On Thursday, the Education Ministry ordered all its educational institutions in areas recording API readings above 180 to close from Friday, following a decree from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, amid worsening haze conditions.

Education director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad said educational institutions in areas recording API readings above 150 for three consecutive days would also close from Monday.

Affected schools were instructed to implement home-based teaching and learning, while teachers and support staff were allowed to work from home throughout the closure period.

The ministry also directed state education departments, district education offices, and institutions under its purview to continuously monitor API readings and take appropriate action when the stipulated thresholds were exceeded.

The measures followed the King’s expression of concern over schoolchildren’s health and safety, including his advice that schools in areas experiencing prolonged API readings between 150 and 180 be closed. — The Borneo Post

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教育部将学校停课的空气污染指数（API）阈值从 200 降低到 180 的决定，因其时机和被认为的双重标准而受到批评。

砂拉越圣公会学校董事会主席拿督达纳尔·朱特主教批评了修订后的阈值实施的延迟，强调东马儿童长期暴露于有毒烟霾中。

他强调需要对所有儿童提供持续的保护，并敦促有关部门优先制定以科学标准为基础的卫生政策。

这项举措源于马来西亚国王对雾霾日益严重导致学生健康状况恶化的担忧。

古晋，10 月 9 日讯——拉比拿督达纳尔·朱特表示，教育部将学校停课的空气污染指数 (API) 阈值从 200 降低到 180 的决定暴露出“显而易见且不可接受的双重标准”。

砂拉越圣公会学校管理委员会主席虽然对这项措施表示欢迎，但对其时机表示不满，指出尽管东马在之前的阈值下已经遭受了严重的有毒雾霾，但这项修订却是在雾霾开始影响马来西亚半岛之后才推出的。

他在一份声明中说：“几个月来，东马各地的儿童、教师和工作人员被迫忍受着API 200阈值下严重的有毒烟霾。”

“因此，现在才将限值降至180，而且是在雾霾影响马来亚的情况下才推出的，这需要解释：为什么东马的肺部要承受更高的有毒空气耐受度？为什么只有在马来亚受到影响时，严格的健康保护措施才被优先考虑？”他质问道。

同时担任砂拉越和文莱圣公会主教的达纳尔德强调，无论地理位置如何，当局都肩负着保障每个儿童健康和安全的神圣职责。

他强调：“无论他们身处古晋、美里、哥打基纳巴卢、柔佛还是吉隆坡——无论他们居住在南海的哪一边，他们都应该得到同样的保护。”

他还补充说，迟来的同理心和地域上的双重标准会破坏真正的民族团结和透明的治理。

为了解决这个问题，作为砂拉越 50 所教会学校的董事会主席，丹纳德敦促教育部长拿督斯里法德琳娜·西迪克、教育部和联邦政府严格按照科学标准制定公共卫生和安全政策，而不是出于区域便利。

周四，马来西亚教育部下令，鉴于雾霾情况日益恶化，所有空气污染指数（API）超过 180 的地区的教育机构从周五起关闭。这是马来西亚最高元首苏丹易卜拉欣陛下颁布的法令。

教育总监拿督莫哈末阿扎姆·艾哈迈德博士表示，连续三天空气污染指数（API）读数超过150的地区的教育机构也将从周一起关闭。

受影响的学校被要求实施居家教学，教师和辅助人员被允许在整个停课期间居家办公。

该部还指示各邦教育部门、地区教育办公室和其管辖下的机构持续监测API读数，并在超过规定阈值时采取适当措施。

这些措施是在国王表达了对学童健康和安全的关切之后出台的，国王建议，如果某个地区的API（空气污染指数）持续在150到180之间，则该地区的学校应该关闭。——《婆罗洲邮报》

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