KUCHING, Oct. 9 -- The Ministry of Education's (MoE) decision to lower the Air Pollutant Index (API) threshold for school closures from 200 to 180 has exposed a "glaring and unacceptable double standard", said the Rt Rev Datuk Danald Jute.

While welcoming the measure, the Sarawak Anglican Mission Schools Board of Management president expressed frustration over its timing, noting that the revision was introduced only after haze conditions began affecting Peninsular Malaysia, despite East Malaysia having endured severe toxic haze under the previous threshold.

"For many months now, children, teachers, and staff across East Malaysia were forced to endure severe, toxic haze under a strict API 200 threshold," he said in statement.

"Therefore...