502 Schools Severely Damaged by NTT Earthquake, 923 Schools Temporarily Closed

Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Atip Latipulhayat has reported that 502 schools suffered severe damage as a result of the earthquake in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT).

The statement was delivered during a joint press conference with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) on Thursday (20/8).

“In the education sector, the earthquake has affected 1,378 educational units. Of these, 502 schools have been reported as severely damaged across 7 regencies, involving 177,678 pupils and 21,166 teachers and education personnel,” Atip explained.

Atip detailed that of the 8,664 classrooms recorded, 5,521 — or approximately 63.7% — have been reported damaged. Furthermore, 2,229 of these are classified as severely or totally damaged. Damage has also been recorded to laboratories, libraries, sanitation facilities, and teachers’ official residences.

Of the 1,159 schools that submitted reports, 923 schools have been temporarily closed, 30 schools are continuing face-to-face learning, 35 are operating emergency schools, and 171 are conducting distance learning.

“The implementation of learning follows the policy of the Governor of NTT to conduct learning from home and at evacuation sites in order to avoid buildings that could potentially collapse and cause injury due to the ongoing aftershocks,” Atip said.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has also undertaken a number of measures to address the impact of the NTT earthquake on the education sector, including recording the needs for strengthening education posts, distributing aid and compensation, and issuing guidance for learning during emergencies.

Through this learning guidance, the Ministry is emphasising essential literacy materials, basic numeracy, and psychosocial support.

The Ministry is also preparing emergency classrooms in stages for severely damaged schools through the distribution of 100 classroom tents.

As of Thursday (20/8) at 16.00 WIB, BNPB reported that the total number of aftershocks had reached 3,752 events. According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), aftershocks are expected to continue for the next 2 to 3 weeks with lower magnitudes than the main earthquake.