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View all search resultsHaze disrupts schooling, threatens learning outcomes
High school students across the country began taking the academic competency test (TKA) on Monday. But in Central Kalimantan, one of the provinces hardest hit by forest and peatland fires this year, students will have to wait until next month to sit the exam because of deteriorating air quality.
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Students attend a class on Oct. 19 at state elementary school SDN 6 Pekanbaru in Riau. The Pekanbaru administration has resumed in-person classes for elementary and junior high school students, requiring them to wear masks as air quality improves after forest and peatland fire haze forced schools to switch to distance learning. (Antara/Rony Muharrman)
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rolonged forest and peatland fires have disrupted schooling across Indonesia, forcing schools to shift to online learning and delaying exams, raising concerns over widening learning gaps among students in affected regions.
High school students across the country began taking the academic competency test (TKA) on Monday. But in Central Kalimantan, one of the provinces hardest hit by forest and peatland fires this year, students will have to wait until next month to take the exam because of deteriorating air quality.
According to Swiss-based air quality monitoring IQAir, Central Kalimantan and its capital Palangka Raya recorded “unhealthy” to “hazardous” air quality on Wednesday, continuing a pattern observed in recent weeks.
The toxic haze, which has turned Kalimantan’s skies dusty orange, has also repeatedly disrupted school schedules since August, forcing schools to periodically switch to online learning. The Palangka Raya Education Agency has extended online learning for kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools from Monday through Wednesday.
Similar disruptions have been reported in other regions, including North Sumatra and South Sumatra. The latter, along with Central Kalimantan, is among the provinces with the largest burned areas recorded this year.
Read also: Central Kalimantan residents struggle as island burns
However, Indonesia’s online learning system has made little progress since its widespread adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, education analyst Indra Charismiadji said.
