Jakarta Education Agency Admits Many Old Schools Still Need Repair

The Jakarta Education Agency (Disdik) has admitted that many state school buildings in the capital are old and in need of repair. Head of the Jakarta Education Agency Nahdiana stated that this is one of the reasons the Provincial Government is mapping schools to be prioritised for revitalisation. “If we classify the construction, there are buildings that were built before I was even born,” Nahdiana said during a working meeting with Commission E of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD DKI) in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Monday. Based on agency data, Nahdiana noted that some schools were established before 1947. Several of these are heritage buildings, requiring special handling. “So, some of these are heritage buildings, there are 13 of them,” she explained. She added that only about 40 per cent of school buildings in Jakarta were constructed within the last 20 years. This means many school buildings are over 20 years old and require attention. To address this, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has formed a Team for the Acceleration of School Building Revitalisation. “The advisors are the Assistant for Development and Environment and the Assistant for People’s Welfare. The chairperson is the Deputy Head of the Education Agency, with the secretaries being the Head of the Educational Facilities and Infrastructure Unit and the Head of the Building Division at the Regional Building and Public Works Agency. Members include the Inspector, all Mayors, the Regional Development Planning Agency, the Regional Financial Management Agency, the Regional Asset Management Agency, the Public Works Agency, the Investment and One-Stop Services Agency, the Communication and Information Agency, the Environmental Agency, the Regional Goods and Services Procurement Bureau, and the Social Welfare Bureau,” Nahdiana detailed. Nahdiana further explained that the team will not only check the 22 schools previously listed for revitalisation. The team will also inspect other schools suspected of having damage so that development priorities can be more accurately targeted. “Later it will be seen whether a school does not need a total overhaul, only heavy repairs, and so on. Because the team will determine the development priorities. So, simply put, everything will be tidied up at once,” Nahdiana said. In addition, the team will investigate the construction process so that obstacles causing project delays can be anticipated from the outset.