Earthquake disrupts education in Irian Jaya<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Feb. 17 major quake that claimed more than
\n100 lives in northern Irian Jaya has thrown local education out
\nof kilter in Biak Numfor, the worst stricken regency.<\/p>\n
Education officials said yesterday hundreds of students will
\nhave to take their classes in the open air because their school
\nbuildings were devastated by the quake measuring 7.0 on the
\nRichter scale.<\/p>\n
According to an official count, 129 school buildings were
\ntotally lost, eight heavily damaged and 244 slightly damaged
\nacross Biak Numfor.<\/p>\n
Chief of the local education office Afindin Mandja said 20,395
\nof the regency's 32,395 elementary school students have lost all
\ntheir belongings when the tidal waves triggered by the quake hit
\ntheir homes.<\/p>\n
He said he needs clothing for 800 kindergarten pupils, 15,400
\nelementary school students, 3,300 junior high school students and
\n1,700 high school students.<\/p>\n
\"They badly need clothing to go to school,\" Afindin was quoted
\nas saying by the Antara news agency.<\/p>\n
But the absence of school buildings and uniforms have hardly
\ndampened the students and teachers' spirit. Education officials
\nhave promised to provide tents and open spaces for them to
\ncontinue education.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, relief aid authorities in Biak said yesterday the
\ndeath toll from the quake rose to 107 yesterday. Another 51 were
\nstill unaccounted for, and 56 were in critical condition.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Toni Husodo from the relief aid coordination unit
\ntold The Jakarta Post by telephone that the disaster has caused
\nan estimated loss of Rp 117.7 billion ( $518.5 million) in Biak
\nNumfor.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian assistance is still streaming in. As of
\nyesterday, the unit had collected Rp 176 million in cash, 110
\ntons of rice, 3,900 boxes of medicines, 5,500 blankets and
\n178,000 packs of instant noodles, Toni said.<\/p>\n
The earth quake, which had its epicenter on the seabed about
\n110 kilometers east of Biak, also caused extensive damage in two
\nother regencies, Manokwari and Yapen Yaropen.<\/p>\n
The Japanese government sent a team of experts to the affected
\nareas yesterday to study the disaster's aftermath and provide
\ntechnical assistance to their Indonesian colleagues, the Japanese
\nembassy in Jakarta said.<\/p>\n
Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto expressed his
\nsympathy to the Indonesian government over the calamity. (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/earthquake-disrupts-education-in-irian-jaya-1447893297",
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