DPR Commission X Deputy Chair Proposes Emergency Schools in NTT: So Learning Can Continue

Deputy Chair of House Commission X Lalu Hadrian Irfani has called on the government to set up emergency schools for students affected by the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province.

He wants teaching and learning activities to continue despite the earthquake disaster, even though aftershocks are still occurring.

“We want the teaching and learning process to continue during the earthquake, which to this day is still experiencing aftershocks,” Lalu said at the Parliament Building in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.

Lalu proposed that the government establish emergency schools using tents or in buildings that were not affected by the earthquake.

“The number of emergency schools will of course be adjusted. If the existing school can still be used, then it should be inventoried,” he explained.

“But again, we recommend that learning take place in emergency schools first. Whether tents are prepared or students are placed in schools that were not affected by the earthquake,” Lalu added.

Previously, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) recorded that 324 schools in NTT were damaged by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

“Based on data as of 16 August 2026, it was reported that 324 educational units in seven regencies were affected by the earthquake,” Kemendikdasmen wrote in its statement on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.

However, Kemendikdasmen said the figure remains provisional. The government is still continuing to collect data on schools that were damaged and require post-earthquake handling.