Minister of Public Works Reveals Various Challenges in Building People's School in Bima

Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo has revealed various challenges in constructing a people’s school in Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The issues relate to the land sites proposed by the NTB Provincial Government (Pemprov NTB). Dody stated that the NTB Provincial Government proposed two land sites for the people’s school in Bima, measuring 13 and 18 hectares respectively. ‘The access is a bit challenging,’ he said during a site inspection at Pandai Village, Woha District, Bima Regency, on Friday, 29 May 2026. Additionally, Dody explained that the road to the school construction site is quite distant, approximately 3-4 kilometres from the village. The situation is similar to that in Brebes, Central Java (Jateng). ‘It’s complicated; the access route is long and passes through villages. We have to relocate power poles and residents’ cow sheds. All sorts of issues. The conditions are similar to Brebes,’ said the man born in Mojokerto, East Java (Jatim). Another challenge highlighted by Dody is the land’s proximity to a river, raising concerns about flooding during the rainy season affecting the school. ‘We have several major tasks to address. The central and local governments must resolve these issues before construction begins,’ Dody said. Nevertheless, Dody remains optimistic the challenges can be overcome. The Ministry of Public Works will continue coordinating with the NTB Provincial Government and Bima Regency authorities to discuss solutions. ‘The land is good, spacious enough for 3,000 people, but the challenges are not minor. Insha’Allah, we can resolve them. We will discuss further with the governor and regent to find solutions,’ he added. NTB Governor Lalu Muhammad Iqbal confirmed that the NTB Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR) and Social Affairs Agency (Dinsos) would quickly find solutions and alternatives for the school construction challenges. According to Iqbal, two issues noted by Dody are the road access for material transportation and the location near the river. ‘The minister has instructed the Water Resources Agency (BWS) and PU Ministry officials to study the river conditions to direct floodwaters straight to the sea,’ Iqbal explained.