Governor Pramono Apologises for Delayed Response to Collapsed South Jakarta School
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has apologised to the public for his late awareness of the dilapidated condition of SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09 in South Jakarta, a school that has been in ruins since November 2024. The governor admitted he only learned of the situation after a video of the collapsed building went viral on social media. Following a meeting with the Education Agency, he was informed that the school was slated for renovation but the project had been delayed. “I do not want to hide anything in my communication. I have just found out about this, and I apologise,” Pramono said after inspecting the site on Friday.
The governor explained that the Jakarta administration had postponed the renovation of 22 schools this year due to cuts in revenue-sharing funds and general budget efficiency measures. Only seven of the planned 22 schools had their budgets allocated. In response to the urgent situation, the administration has now decided to prioritise four schools deemed to be in the most critical condition. These include SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09 with a budget of Rp48.1 billion, SMAN 102 Jakarta at Rp67.5 billion, SDN Cempaka Putih Barat 03 at Rp48.4 billion, and SDN Papanggo 01 along with TKN Papanggo 01 at a combined Rp74.1 billion. The total budget for these four projects amounts to approximately Rp249 billion.
Pramono stated that the funding for these schools will be sourced from a combination of floor area ratio levies and the revised regional budget, as waiting for the standard annual budget cycle would take too long. He assured that the remaining schools not addressed this year will be prioritised for construction in 2027. South Jakarta Mayor Syafrin Liputo noted that the damage to SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09 was caused by the building’s age, having stood since 1974. The school partially collapsed in November 2024, forcing hundreds of students to attend classes at other facilities while plans for a merger and repairs were prepared.