PONTIANAK, thekabarnews.com—The Pontianak City Administration will allow schools to move classes online from Monday, August 24. This will happen when air quality reaches very unhealthy or hazardous levels amid persistent haze from forest and land fires in West Kalimantan.

The policy covers public and private preschools, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools and equivalency education programs under the city administration’s authority.

Pontianak’s Education and Culture Office (Disdikbud Pontianak) introduced the measure through Circular No. B/400.7.15/1028/DISDIKBUD/2026, dated August 21.

The circular requires schools to continue lessons remotely according to their existing schedules whenever pollution crosses the specified threshold.

“Children, starting August 24, study from home when the air becomes severe. Health comes first, but school must continue,” Pontianak Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono said in his social media statement, Sunday, August 23.

He also urged parents and teachers to support students during online learning. He advised children to wear masks when they must leave their homes.

The city’s policy links teaching arrangements directly to monitored air quality. For example, schools may conduct distance learning when the air reaches the very unhealthy or hazardous category. They may resume face-to-face classes when it improves to the moderate category.

This means the circular establishes a conditional safety measure rather than an indefinite closure of every school. Education officials and school administrators will need to monitor official air-quality reports before changing learning arrangements.

The Pontianak City Administration said deteriorating air conditions had already caused health complaints. In particular, these were among residents vulnerable to acute respiratory infections.

Regional pollution remained serious on August 23. BMKG’s national monitoring platform recorded a PM2.5 concentration of 258.5 micrograms per cubic meter at its Kubu Raya monitoring station at 11 a.m. This reading placed the air quality in the hazardous category.

The station represents nearby Kubu Raya and should not be treated as a precise measurement for every part of Pontianak. BMKG updates the readings regularly.

The city administration cannot determine learning arrangements for senior high schools and vocational high schools. The West Kalimantan Provincial Administration manages those institutions instead.

“We understand parents’ concerns and their requests for SMA and SMK students to study from home as well,” Edi said on Sunday.

“For SMA and SMK, the authority rests with the West Kalimantan Provincial Administration,” he added.

Edi said every education policy adopted during the haze emergency should prioritize children’s health and safety.

The circular instructs schools to use available synchronous and asynchronous learning platforms while considering students’ circumstances and technological access.

Principals must also coordinate with teachers, staff, students and parents to keep lessons effective.

Parents and guardians have been asked to supervise children during remote learning. They should also restrict unnecessary outdoor activities and ensure children wear masks when going outside.

Authorities have not announced how many students the policy will affect. Schools and families should therefore follow updates from Disdikbud Pontianak and BMKG because air quality can change rapidly.