JAKARTA - Special Staff to Vice President Nico Harjanto said the government facilitated emergency schools for the continuity of teaching and learning activities for students in a number of areas affected by the Sumatra disaster.
Nico said that although thousands of educational facilities were damaged, the state should not allow children to lose learning access for too long.
"In the education sector, the government is also working hard so that children do not lose their right to study for a long time," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, December 10.
Of the total 2,798 schools that were damaged, the government moved quickly through the Emergency School Support program to ensure learning activities continued.
"The principle is simple, even though schools are damaged, the spirit of learning should not collapse," said Nico.
Emergency efforts began by distributing emergency classrooms, school tents, and various study equipment to areas experiencing the most severe disaster impacts.
Nico said the move was expected to ensure the learning process continued even though the physical condition of the school had not fully recovered.
As reinforcement, said Nico, the Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has prepared 126 tents for the emergency classroom as well as 10,200 school supplies for Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Nico called the provision of this facility a form of the government's commitment to safeguarding the future of children in the midst of a crisis.
Not only short-term handling, according to him, the government has also included disaster-affected areas in the priority of school revitalization in 2026.
"This is not just a provision of facilities, but also an effort to maintain the hopes and future of children in the midst of difficult situations," said Nico.
The Ministry of Education and Culture has activated an emergency scheme after 2,798 schools in West Sumatra, Aceh, and North Sumatra were damaged by floods and landslides.
The government prioritizes the sustainability of learning with classroom tents, flexible scheduling, and final school exams (UAS) which are fully submitted to the regions.
The Ministry of Education and Culture is conducting a rapid assessment to map the damage and needs of education. It was recorded that 208 thousand students and 19 thousand teachers were affected.
Emergency response assistance worth IDR 21.1 billion has been distributed, including regional assistance worth IDR 5.7 billion for West Sumatra, IDR 560 million for Aceh, and IDR 220 million for North Sumatra.
As of December 4, 2025, 10,000 school supplies and 74 emergency tents have been available for distribution.
Learning is done offline, online, and in tent class, with a rotating system in schools that are still suitable for use. For schools to be heavily damaged, 25 study room tents are installed as temporary replacements.
In addition, the Ministry of Education and Culture has also prepared initial repair assistance of IDR 1025 million per school while completing data for priority rehabilitation for the 2026 fiscal year.
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