What happens when research on haze and child health moves from the study room into the classroom? In Palembang, RCCC UI is taking the research directly to schools, working with teachers and health professionals to better understand and protect children living in areas affected by haze.
On 29 July 2026, the Pusat Riset Perubahan Iklim Universitas Indonesia (RCCC UI) visited SD Muhammadiyah 01, SD Muhammadiyah 06, SD Muhammadiyah 14, and SD Muhammadiyah 18 in Palembang to introduce the research and prepare for a year-long school-based study on the health impacts of forest and land fire haze among schoolchildren.
The visit marked an important step in RCCC UI’s ongoing efforts to generate evidence on how haze exposure can affect children’s health. Across the four schools, selected classes will take part in the study, involving 20 classes in total. RCCC UI will work closely with school principals and teachers as the research moves into its monitoring phase.
The study combines daily health monitoring with lung function assessment. Teachers from selected classes will support daily health monitoring from Monday to Saturday, while lung function measurements will be conducted by health professionals, with support from health centres around the participating schools. Selected students will undergo pre-test and post-test lung function assessments, with 10 students selected from each participating class.
This approach allows RCCC UI to bring together observations from the classroom with direct health measurements, creating a more detailed picture of children’s health during the study period. The monitoring forms collected in schools will subsequently be managed and analysed by the RCCC UI research team.
The activity also established the foundation for collaboration between researchers, schools, teachers, and local health services. By working directly with the schools, RCCC UI is building a research process that can capture health conditions closer to where children learn and spend their daily lives.
The fieldwork in Palembang is part of RCCC UI’s broader effort to strengthen the evidence base for child health protection in haze-prone areas. The findings will contribute to understanding health risks associated with haze exposure and support the development of evidence-based recommendations and a school-based Early Warning System (EWS).
From four schools in Palembang, RCCC UI is building evidence that can help turn haze research into practical protection for children.
