4,922 Schools Damaged by Sumatra Disasters; Renovations Targeted for Completion by 2029

The Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, stated that 4,922 schools in three provinces have been damaged as a result of disasters in Sumatra. The government has currently allocated a budget of Rp 5 trillion for the repair and renovation of these schools.

Tito noted that the budget is sourced from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, supplemented by additional funds from the Ministry of Finance. He described the scale of damage to school buildings in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh as massive.

“The core point is that they are using regular budgets plus additional funds from the Ministry of Finance, totalling approximately Rp 5 trillion. This is being used for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 4,922 schools across the three provinces. To be honest, the scale is quite massive,” Tito said during a press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/9).

He explained that the repairs for thousands of schools damaged by the Sumatra disasters cannot be completed instantly. The government aims to finish all school repairs within three years.

“The actual timeframe is three years, but I understand from the presentation earlier that they are striving to finish as quickly as possible. This is so that the teaching and learning process can take place in an ideal atmosphere, rather than an emergency state,” he added.

According to Tito, out of the total 4,922 damaged schools, 97 must be relocated because their land was lost due to landslides or washed away by floods.

“Some repairs are 100 per cent complete, some are between 70 to 99 per cent, and there are 616 schools below 50 per cent. There are several obstacles, including the issue of the 97 school sites that require relocation because the land has been lost to landslides, floods, or is in high-risk areas, necessitating their movement,” Tito explained.

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, added that five programmes have been prepared to handle the schools damaged by the Sumatra disasters. First is the reconstruction of schools that have sustained light damage, heavy damage, or those that require total rebuilding.

“Second is the programme to fulfil learning facilities and infrastructure. We are providing assistance to these schools, specifically for learning equipment such as desks, chairs, laboratories, and so on. Furthermore, we are providing textbooks and other assistance to support and ensure that learning proceeds as it should,” he said.

The government is also providing assistance to teachers in the form of training and incentives. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is providing incentives for both teachers and educational staff affected by the disasters.

“The fourth is the assistance we are providing to educational units so they can carry out activities that provide learning support,” he added.

Under the fifth programme, the Ministry will conduct data collection for Grade 12 students affected by the Sumatra disasters to ensure they can participate in academic proficiency tests according to the schedule.

“We have conducted data collection and ensured that high school students and their equivalents can participate in academic proficiency tests this October as effectively as possible, whether held at their own schools or by temporarily using other school facilities,” he concluded.