5,000 students to take final exams in tents
5,000 students to take final exams in tents
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Medan
Many Aceh school buildings that were destroyed by recent natural
disasters have still not been rebuilt, meaning some 5,000
students will have to sit their national final exams under
makeshift tents.
Spokesman for the provincial education agency Bustaman Aly
said on Saturday that the affected students attended junior and
senior high schools in the regencies of Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya,
Simeulue and West Aceh.
"On Simeulue island alone, there are 2,000 students who will
have to take the exams in tents as their school buildings were
completely shattered by the huge earthquake last March," said
Bustaman, quoted by Antara.
An earthquake and tsunami devastated Aceh and Nias island in
North Sumatra on Dec. 26 last year, claiming over 129,000 lives.
A major quake doubled the misery for people in Nias and some
parts of Aceh on March 28, with over 800 killed.
The tsunami destroyed 1,083 school buildings in Aceh,
according to the education agency data.
A fresh quake jolted Aceh on Sunday, causing hundreds of
people in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh to flee their
houses in panic. The local meteorology and geophysics agency
measured the tremor at 5.1 on the Richter scale.
The agency has recorded an average of 20 aftershocks per day
in the province since the December catastrophe, but most were not
noticeable. Such quakes, however, would not cause killer waves,
the agency said.
Third-year students from junior and senior high schools
nationwide will sit for their final exams between May 30 and June
1. A second examination will be held in October for those who do
not pass in May.
Bustaman said there would be 130,823 students sitting final
exams in Aceh.
The provincial administration has instructed all schools not
to collect money for whatever reason from students.
The central government has decided to cover education costs of
students, who are bearing the brunt of the disaster.
"The government will even pay the honorarium for teachers
monitoring the exams. There should be no levy imposed on
students," Bustaman said.
In Medan, North Sumatra, the Greek government through the NGO
Solidarity handed over the second part of humanitarian aid
package to the Indonesian Red Cross for people affected by the
tsunami in Aceh and Nias.
The assistance totals nine million euro (US$10.8 million), one
million euro of which is allocated for reconstruction.
Ignatios Giapitzioglou from Solidarity said the reconstruction
fund was specially intended to rebuild houses, schools and
hospitals.