Recovery of 4,992 Flood-Affected Schools in Sumatra Needs Acceleration, Bireuen Targets Completion in July

The government needs to accelerate the recovery of schools affected by hydrometeorological disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra so that teaching and learning activities can return to normal for the new academic year in July 2026.

According to the latest report from the Post-Disaster Recovery Task Force, a total of 4,992 educational facilities were impacted across the three provinces, with Aceh experiencing the most extensive damage, affecting 3,120 facilities.

As of 31 March 2026, 3,002 schools have signed revitalisation cooperation agreements with a total budget of Rp 2.86 trillion. Although most handling is carried out through self-management, the government has also partnered with the Indonesian Army to rehabilitate 267 schools classified as heavily damaged or requiring relocation.

Acceleration of rehabilitation is also underway in Bireuen Regency in Aceh, one of the severely affected areas. The Head of the Bireuen District Education Office Branch, Abdul Hamid, stated that around 22 schools were impacted by the floods, with 12 experiencing heavy damage.

“Up to now, all affected schools have been cleaned, and they are now in the rehabilitation phase. The progress is on average 20 per cent,” said Abdul Hamid at his office on Thursday, 7 May 2026.

According to him, teaching and learning activities continue despite emergency conditions. Several schools are utilising available facilities, including borrowing desks and chairs from unaffected schools.

Some schools even suffered heavy damage requiring total rehabilitation. One example is SMAN 1 Peusangan Siblah Krueng, which was flooded up to the roof, so renovations are being carried out by raising the building, including the classroom floors and ceilings.

Abdul Hamid mentioned that revitalisation funding comes from the central government, varying from Rp 1 billion to Rp 4 billion per school. “The target is for all educational facilities to be back to normal by July,” he said, so they can function when the new academic year begins.

Students Join in Mutual Cooperation

The Principal of SMAN 2 Peusangan, Hasballah, recalled that the initial post-flood period was the most challenging, as more than 70 per cent of students were affected. At that time, teachers and students worked together to clean the mud that had covered the school grounds.

At the end of December 2025, the school received assistance of around Rp 30 million from the Directorate of SMA under the Ministry of Education to speed up cleaning and mud removal using heavy equipment and trucks. “Alhamdulillah, in line with the Ministry of Education’s target, teaching and learning activities were ready to resume on 5 January,” Hasballah recounted.

Although learning activities have returned to normal, facility limitations are still felt. Some students had to sit on the floor to learn because desks and chairs were damaged by the flood. To meet urgent needs, the school used School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds while awaiting mobile aid from the local government.

Amid the recovery process, students are striving to adapt. The OSIS Chairman of SMAN 1 Peusangan, Muhammad Aufa Rizki, said many learning supplies were lost or damaged due to the flood, but learning activities continued from the start of the even semester. “Because they were swept away by the water. Some were covered in mud and could no longer be used,” he said.

Now, learning activities have fully returned to normal, running from the first to the last period. All teachers are teaching as usual. The remaining challenges, Aufa continued, include a shortage of books and learning materials. “Because we lack books, we cope by noting down the material delivered by the teacher in class,” he said.