13 State Schools in Jakarta Hold Heritage Status, Built Before Indonesia's Independence

The Jakarta Education Agency (Disdik) has revealed that many state school buildings in the capital are extremely old, with data showing several were built before Indonesia’s independence. This was disclosed by the Head of the Jakarta Education Agency, Nahdiana, during a meeting with Commission E of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) at City Hall on Monday (27/7/2026). The statement was made while explaining the comprehensive evaluation steps for school building conditions following the collapse of SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09. “I will pause this briefing to discuss the general condition. Of our 215 state education units, if we classify them by construction period, some of our buildings were built before I was even born,” Nahdiana said. She noted that some schools are even older than the Republic of Indonesia, with a number of them holding cultural heritage status. “So there are buildings constructed before 1947. Some of these are heritage buildings, totalling 13,” she stated. Nahdiana added that based on building age, only about 40 percent of state school buildings were constructed within the last 20 years. Consequently, the Jakarta Provincial Government is not only focusing on schools already listed for revitalisation but will also inspect the condition of all school buildings. “If we group them, those built in the last 20 years account for only 40-something percent,” she said. According to Nahdiana, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has formed a task force to accelerate school building revitalisation. The team is tasked with inventorying and reviewing the condition of all school buildings to determine repair priorities. The team is led by the Deputy Head of the Education Agency and involves several regional apparatus organisations (OPD), such as the Cipta Karya Agency, the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), the Regional Financial Management Agency (BPKD), the Regional Asset Management Agency (BPAD), the Inspectorate, city mayors, and the Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Agency (DPMPTSP). “It will later be clear whether a building needs a total rebuild or just heavy renovation. The team will determine the construction priorities,” she explained. She said the formation of this team is also a follow-up to Governor Pramono’s directives after the collapse of SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09. In addition to the inventory, an investigation team will also be formed to oversee the implementation of revitalisation projects to prevent delays and other obstacles. “The Governor wants not only an inventory team, but also an investigation team. So during implementation, it will be investigated so that delays and other issues can be mitigated from now on,” she concluded.