Viral Video of NTT Student Using Charcoal as Socks Prompts TTS Regency Government Response

A 19-second video uploaded to the TikTok account @Yanto Tefi has gone viral, showing a moment of a student named Marciano preparing for school. The video’s narration states that Marciano’s socks were lost and had been replaced with charcoal.

In the footage, Marciano is seen standing before an adult man, who takes charcoal from a small pot and rubs it onto both of the boy’s feet. The caption in the video reads, “No socks, so charcoal it is,” according to reports from Wednesday, 3 June 2026.

Following the application, the two are seen high-fiving and giving thumbs-up signs. Marciano appears cheerful as he prepares to depart for school, offering a polite greeting to the man.

“Good morning,” Marciano says before hurrying off to school.

The Head of the Education and Culture Office (Disdikbud) of TTS Regency, Apris Adrianus Manafe, stated that his office is immediately investigating the viral incident. He noted that every school possesses PIP (Program Indonesia Pintar) and BOS (School Operational Assistance) funds that can be utilised for student needs.

“I will report this to the Regent first, because every school has a budget that should be available for student requirements,” Apris said when contacted on Wednesday.

According to Apris, he and his staff will soon visit the location to check on the student’s condition. If Marciano comes from an underprivileged family, the school principal has been instructed to take immediate action. “If the student is indeed from an underprivileged family, I have ordered the principal to implement emergency handling, followed by further long-term measures,” Apris explained.

“I have already shared the viral video in the group for all school principals to immediately check the condition of the child and his family. Therefore, school principals must take prompt action,” he added.