Indonesia shifts 1.4 million students to remote learning due to wildfire haze

Approximately 1.43 million students across six Indonesian provinces have transitioned to remote learning due to hazardous air quality caused by widespread forest and land fires. The affected provinces include Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan, involving 12,874 schools.

West Kalimantan is the most heavily impacted region, with roughly 1.1 million students moving to online classes. Air pollution levels in parts of Kalimantan have reached extreme levels; Southeast Pontianak in West Kalimantan recorded an Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) of 1,023, well above the 300 threshold classified as hazardous by Indonesian authorities.

Remote learning is scheduled to continue through at least September 4, with air quality assessments conducted every three days. Authorities have authorized school principals to implement online learning immediately if the ISPU exceeds 200. Government data indicates that approximately 200,000 hectares of land have burned across Indonesia during the first seven months of the year, with a significant surge in fire activity recorded in July.