Jakarta, August 22, 2026 – In response to the forest and land fires (Karhutla) that occurred in the Kalimantan Island region, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) continues to strive to maintain safe, adaptive learning while still guaranteeing students' right to learn.
Based on data compiled by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Basic Education Data (Dapodik) as of August 11, 2026, the forest and land fire disaster indicates a significant scale of exposure. The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), Abdul Mu'ti, announced that he would update the Ministerial Circular (SE) to confirm the emergency haze learning protocol.
To date, several districts/cities have implemented a Distance Learning (PJJ) scheme. This PJJ is being implemented by 3,524 educational institutions, reaching 571,338 students, covering the areas of the West Kalimantan Provincial Government, Pontianak City Government, Kubu Raya Regency Government, Kayong Utara Regency Government, Palangka Raya City Government, East Kotawaringin Regency Government, and Banjarbaru City Government.
Responding to this, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education emphasized that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) continues to prioritize three principles. First, the safety of the school community is the top priority. Second, students' right to learn continues. Third, post-disaster recovery must be planned from the outset.
"The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is ready to act quickly with all relevant ministries and institutions to ensure that all students affected by forest and land fires do not lose their right to learn and continue to carry out effective, adaptive, and efficient learning processes," he said in Jakarta on Friday (August 21).
In response to forest and land fires, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education also encouraged school principals, supervisors, instructors, and inspectors to ensure the smooth running of the distance learning (PJJ) process. Principals have full control over the implementation and supervision of PJJ. Supervisors, instructors, and inspectors at each educational unit are tasked with assisting with monitoring and providing guidance to support haze mitigation efforts and ensure the smooth running of the learning process.
Meanwhile, based on a Circular Letter from the Banjarbaru City Education Office dated August 21, 2026, the Banjarbaru City Government has established several measures in response to the forest and land fire disaster. Through the letter, all educational units will implement distance learning (PJJ) from August 24 to 28, 2026. Meanwhile, educators and education personnel will continue to carry out their duties at school according to the stipulated working hours with adjusted tolerance for delays. The PJJ implementation time will still adjust to normal learning hours, which begin at 07:30 WITA.
To address forest and land fires, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education provides assistance and flexibility in the use of BOP and BOS funds.
Furthermore, in addition to updating the Ministerial Circular Letter as a confirmation regarding the emergency haze learning protocol, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will also activate the Forest and Land Fire Emergency Education Post in five priority provinces, implement daily learning status reporting through Dapodik, and distribute aid in the form of medical masks and health packages to affected educational units.
From now until the end of September, the Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education will continue to monitor the situation based on the daily Air Pollutant Standard Index (ISPU). To support the ongoing learning process, the Ministry is providing learning modules, preparing smoke-safe classrooms in reference schools in each affected sub-district, preparing psychosocial services, and implementing flexible use of Education Operational Costs (BOP) and School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds for emergency smoke needs.*** (Author: Destian/Documentation: BNPB)
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