JAKARTA - Member of Commission X DPR Habib Syarief assessed that the budget allocation of Rp 50 billion from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemendikti Saintek) for disaster management in Sumatra in the education sector is still far from sufficient.
He asked the government to increase the budget up to 10 times so that it is in accordance with the scale of needs in the three affected provinces.
"I was quite surprised when I heard that the assistance issued was only IDR 50 billion. For a disaster of this size, the budget is very small," said Habib Syarief at a meeting of Commission X of the DPR with the Ministry of Education and Technology at the DPR building, Monday, December 8.
"I agree that it will be increased at least 10 times, because the coverage includes three provinces and a number of universities that are also affected," he continued.
Habib Syarief said conditions in the field were still very emergency, especially regarding access to clean water and sanitation. According to him, filtering technology such as ICB and green ultrafiltration are only able to reach about 20 percent of the affected areas.
"We have received reports that many people are forced to drink flood water in order to survive. This is a very dangerous situation. Clean water is a basic service that cannot be delayed, including for health facilities, command posts, public kitchens, and affected universities," he said.
Habib Syarief also asked for the strengthening of public kitchens, which currently mostly still depend on humanitarian agencies.
In addition, he assessed that the need for psychological assistance for affected residents was very urgent, especially disaster trauma which lasted a long time, even more than a year.
"We received reports that people's trauma has reached a severe level. There are even residents who feel they no longer have life expectancy. This is a serious alarm for the government," he said.
Habib Syarief encourages the provision of emergency scholarships and the exemption of Single Lecture Money (UKT) for students in disaster areas. "For this year, students in disaster areas must be exempt from UKT. This is not a normal situation," he said.
Based on data from the Ministry of Education and Technology, there are 60 universities affected by floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra Provinces. Aceh is the area with the highest number of affected universities, namely 31 campuses. In North Sumatra there are 14 affected campuses and in West Sumatra as many as 15 campuses.
Habib Syarief said most teaching and learning activities were stopped due to cut access and campus locations affected by the disaster. "Many learning facilities such as computers and laptops were damaged. Support facilities such as laboratories and fields also collapsed a lot," he said.
Therefore, Habib Syarief assessed, it is necessary to integrate the disaster curriculum so that the world of education is more prepared to face similar situations. He also appreciated BRIN's role in providing scientific data for disasters.
"But it is necessary to conduct a study center and an integrated disaster laboratory across ministries," he concluded.
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