Vice President Inspects School in Tapteng, Ensures Accelerated Repairs
Central Tapanuli (ANTARA) - Vice President Gibran Rakabuming inspected SMA Negeri 1 Barus in Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, on Friday, ensuring that the acceleration of school facility repairs is carried out following the Sumatra floods.
During his observation in Central Tapanuli on Friday, the Vice President inspected individual classrooms in the school, which was affected by floods reaching approximately one metre in height last year.
“Is there only one textbook?” the Vice President asked one of the teachers in a classroom during a teaching and learning session.
The teacher replied that currently, each desk shared by two students uses only one textbook.
Several classrooms in the school are still in need of repair, as evidenced by numerous rooms that are still using corrugated zinc roofing.
On the same occasion, Teti Situmeang, a teacher and the person in charge of the library, stated that the school required several weeks to clean up following the floods at the end of 2025.
Furthermore, many books in the library were found in a damaged condition and had to be discarded because they were no longer usable.
“Hopefully, new books will be provided soon and school repairs will continue to progress,” she said.
Previously, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming returned to North Sumatra on Friday morning to directly monitor the progress of handling and recovery following the floods and landslides in Central Tapanuli Regency, South Tapanuli Regency, and Sibolga City.
The Vice President’s presence is part of the government’s efforts to ensure the disaster recovery process continues, and to ensure that obstacles experienced during the transition period are well-managed so that the community can recover quickly.
On this occasion, the Vice President will also inspect the construction and repair of several facilities and infrastructure that were damaged by the disaster. This recovery is aimed not only at restoring the function of infrastructure but also at strengthening community protection against potential future disasters.
More resilient infrastructure is expected to support regional recovery, increase regional resilience, and ensure that residents can return to living safely, productively, and independently.