Parents Plead for Urgent Repairs as South Jakarta Primary School Collapses

Parents of students at SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09 in South Jakarta have described the harrowing moment the school building collapsed, an incident that occurred during the Pilkada holiday on 27 November 2024. Evi, a parent of a fifth-grade student, said the building had been tilting since the morning before heavy rain caused it to finally collapse in the afternoon. “In the morning it was just leaning, the roof tiles were already… then it rained at midday, and by the afternoon it just came crashing down,” she told reporters on Tuesday (21/7/2026).

For the past two years, students have been forced to take lessons at the neighbouring SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 11, resulting in a shift from morning to afternoon classes. Evi lamented that the change has disrupted the children’s routines, particularly their ability to attend afternoon Quran recitation lessons. “They used to recite the Quran after Asr prayers, but now they finish school at 5pm. Their religious activities and study comfort have been completely disrupted,” she said.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung acknowledged the situation after a video of the collapsed school went viral on social media. He admitted he was previously unaware of the issue but assured that the local government would act swiftly. “We will handle it immediately. I only found out after it went viral, but I always give special attention to viral issues to ensure they are resolved quickly,” Pramono stated, promising that repairs to the state primary school would be completed without delay.