{
  "id": 5532097,
  "title": "Sarawak to close 647 schools for five days from Sept 7 to 11 as haze persists",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sarawak-to-close-647-schools-for-five-days-from-sept-7-to-11-as-haze-5532097",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T09:21:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/04/sarawak-to-close-647-schools-for-five-days-from-sept-7-to-11-as-haze-persists/233944"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sarawak has announced the closure of 647 schools, including 563 primary and 84 secondary institutions, in a five-day period from September 7 to 11. This decision comes as the haze situation remains persistent and shows no signs of improvement. The affected schools are spread across various districts, including Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Serian, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Kanowit, Julau, and Maradong, with these districts' education offices responsible for managing the closures. The decision was made following a meeting and briefing by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) regarding the current weather and haze conditions. Despite ongoing monitoring throughout the school holidays, the situation has not improved significantly, leading to the closure of schools in the aforementioned areas. As of the latest update, Serian and Kuching recorded hazardous Air Pollutant Index (API) readings of 514 and 313, respectively, as per data from the Environmental Quality Management System.",
  "summary": "KUCHING, Sept 4 — A total of 647 schools in Sarawak will be closed for five days from September 7 to 11 due to per...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Sarawak to close 647 schools for five days from Sept 7 to 11 as haze persists",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sarawak-to-close-647-schools-for-five-days-from-sept-7-to-11-as-haze",
        "published": "2026-09-04T09:21:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}