Education Department Responds to Viral Case of Samarinda Student Dying Due to Tight Shoes

A student from SMKN 4 Samarinda, East Kalimantan, named Mandala, passed away, allegedly due to health issues. The tragic news went viral because it was suspected that the deceased suffered health problems from wearing shoes that were too small.

Mandala’s case became viral on social media, including a post by the Instagram account @pikology. In the post, Mandala was said to have been forced to wear size 40 shoes despite his actual foot size being 43.

This size difference was said to have caused Mandala’s feet to swell, leading to a fatal condition.

The situation was exacerbated because Mandala was also participating in an internship programme as a sales assistant at a shopping centre. This required Mandala to stand for long periods in the too-small shoes.

The East Kalimantan Education and Culture Department (Disdikbud) responded and visited the victim’s family.

According to information obtained by the department, Acting Head of the East Kalimantan Education and Culture Department (Disdikbud), Armin, stated that Mandala’s internship ran from 9 February to 20 March 2026.

After the internship, Mandala still attended school on 30 March. However, the next day, he was advised to rest and sent home due to declining physical condition.

“On 2 April 2026, the student did not attend classes, and the parents submitted a sick leave note,” he said in a written statement on Monday (4/5).

A week later, Mandala’s mother contacted the class teacher to request financial assistance. The school then asked her to come in for direct coordination.

Mandala’s mother visited the school on 10 April and reported her child’s declining health.

Upon receiving the report, the school provided financial aid of Rp1.1 million, deeming it a non-medical issue.

On 21 April, school representatives visited Mandala’s home and found his legs weak and swollen, but no signs of wounds or abrasions.

The school then advised Mandala to seek medical treatment for proper healthcare. However, there was an issue with BPJS arrears amounting to Rp2.4 million.

Ultimately, the school helped facilitate the BPJS arrangements.

“The school assisted in facilitating a meeting with the neighbourhood head (ketua RT) to process the BPJS through government assistance,” Armin said.

After that, Armin said the school visited again on 23 April to check on Mandala’s condition and inquire about the BPJS progress.

He noted that at the time, Mandala’s parents reported his condition was improving with no more swelling. Thus, the school decided to buy Mandala shoes in the correct size.

“On 24 April 2026, news was received that the student had passed away, and the school accompanied the funeral preparations and burial,” he said.

Results of clarification and in-depth investigation

Armin explained that the results of their clarification and in-depth investigation, based on information gathered from the school, family, and related parties, revealed facts about the student’s declining health, including dizziness and leg swelling.

The department also visited the victim’s home.

“According to circulating information, the tight shoes, and according to the parents, the student’s shoe size was 43,” he said.

Additionally, he stated that the school had provided maximum support, including efforts to obtain healthcare facilities.

However, Armin said that so far, there is no medical diagnosis indicating that the victim’s health decline leading to death was due to the tight shoes.

“Brief Analysis: Based on the results of clarification and data in-depth review, the school has provided maximum support. However, because there is no medical diagnosis from healthcare services, we cannot conclude that the cause of the student’s death was not due to the shoes,” he said.