School roof collapse no surprise to residents

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post/Tangerang

Maksum had seen it coming days before the roof of the 25-year-old state elementary school in Tapos village, one kilometer north of the Tangerang regency offices in Tigaraksa, collapsed in the small hours of Tuesday morning.

"I was awoken by a loud noise, and I knew instantly that it was the roof collapsing ... the roof had been making creaking loudly for the past three days," the 43-year-old, who lives nearby, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Like other parents in the neighborhood, the sorry state of the school had led to Maksum deciding to send his six-year-old daughter to school in the neighboring village of Sodong, even though this meant he had to spend more on ojek (motorcycle taxis).

Since the roof collapse, the school management has arranged for the 127 students in grades four to six to attend afternoon classes in the three classrooms that are still safe for use.

Abdullah, one of the school's teachers, said that the school had asked the administration to effect repairs on four occasions since 2000. The administration had finally said yes this year, but had yet to start the work.

"We often had to send students home early for fear that the building would collapse during bad weather. None of us would dare to stay in the school during hail, for example," he said.

Regent Ismet Iskandar said he had ordered education agency director Mas Iman Kusnandar and spatial use agency director Bunyamin Davnie to have the school repaired.

"We can't wait for the 2005 budget to finance the work. The students have to continue their studies as usual," he said.

Mas Iman Kusnandar, who was monitoring the repair work at the school on Wednesday, revealed that the administration could only renovate 50 out of over 700 dilapidated schools each year due to a lack of money.