Government Accelerates Construction of Sekolah Rakyat in Nagan Raya, Aceh

Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo has stated that the government remains optimistic and is striving to ensure the Sekolah Rakyat (SR) construction project in Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh, can function operationally by the end of June 2026. “God willing, we are pushing for completion by the end of June. We remain committed to that target,” Dody Hanggodo told reporters in Nagan Raya, Aceh, on Sunday. The Nagan Raya Regency Government has provided 8.1 hectares of land to support the Sekolah Rakyat programme, located in the Suka Makmue Office Complex. The project has been underway for several months, but progress remains slow due to material transportation constraints. Addressing this, Dody Hanggodo said the government continues to work towards making the school functional soon, despite transportation difficulties in some areas, and will gradually complete it until it is fully operational. With this acceleration, children in Nagan Raya, Aceh, are expected to be able to enrol and enjoy the new school facilities by July 2026. He explained that the Ministry of Public Works is continuously striving to accelerate the construction of educational infrastructure—primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary schools—in the Aceh region. Nevertheless, geographical and logistical challenges, particularly overland transport routes, remain the main obstacles in delivering building materials. Dody Hanggodo noted that most building materials must be brought directly from Medan, North Sumatra. The travel distance and extreme overland route conditions pose significant hurdles for service providers. “The route is quite extreme, making overland material supply very difficult,” the Minister said at the project site. As an alternative solution, the option of air freight using aircraft was considered. However, limitations of the local airport, which cannot yet accommodate large-capacity cargo planes such as the Hercules, mean the air route cannot be fully utilised. To overcome raw material constraints like cement, which often hinder conventional concrete casting methods, contractors and service providers are now being encouraged to optimise the use of local batching plants. This measure is expected to reduce dependency on long-distance logistics supplies. Despite the transportation challenges, Dody Hanggodo commended the on-site performance, as construction progress has now reached approximately 64 per cent. The Ministry of Public Works is targeting the school building to be functionally operational by the end of June 2026, so that students can promptly use it for teaching and learning activities.