Aceh Tengah Regency Government Says 12 Schools Still Using Emergency Tents for Classes

Banda Aceh (ANTARA) - The Aceh Tengah Regency government says 12 schools in the area are still using emergency tents for classes following floods and landslides in late November 2025.

‘At present, several schools are still using emergency tents, around 12 in total,’ said Acting Head of Education for Aceh Tengah, Salimsyah, in Aceh Tengah on Saturday.

The 12 schools are spread across Ketol, Bintang, and Linge districts. However, conditions vary significantly, with some completely unusable and original locations separated by rivers.

Salimsyah added that most schools in Aceh Tengah now have widened river barriers post-disaster, raising concerns among children crossing them. With safety not guaranteed, temporary schools had to be set up.

‘Thus, the local government has initiated two solutions: rebuilding the original schools and utilising tents for temporary classrooms. These include locations in Ketol, Bintang, and Linge,’ he said.

‘We hope to provide emergency learning spaces soon, whether in homes or nearby schools. Clearly, we are pushing for this as quickly as possible to ensure comfortable education for our children,’ he added.

Regarding relocating schools in disaster-prone areas, Salimsyah continued that, per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ guidance, they are working to prepare land certificates, which have been the main obstacle in proposing new school construction.

‘One requirement is a land certificate. When we visited the field to gather information from village heads and school principals, that was the main hurdle,’ he said.

Separately, Imran, chair of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Aceh Recovery and Rehabilitation Task Force, stated that the local government is working on temporary schools for children still learning in tents while awaiting budget approval for new permanent schools.

‘In the short term, the local government can use existing usable schools instead of tents, while waiting for permanent schools to be built. We hope the regency government builds temporary schools quickly,’ Imran said.