East Lombok Regency Government Priority For Student And Teacher Safety When Disaster Comes

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - The Regency Government of East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), prioritizes the safety of students and education personnel when a disaster emergency occurs.

"Disasters are never expected but must be anticipated," said East Lombok Regional Secretary Muhammad Juaini Taofik, quoted from his official statement in East Lombok, Saturday, April 16.

The East Lombok Regency Government has confirmed the management of the Joint Secretariat of the Disaster Safe Education Unit (SPAB) to maintain the health and safety of students and education personnel in disaster emergency situations.

SPAB is important for establishing communication, capacity building and coordination in an effort to create an educational environment that is safe from disasters.

"It is at this level that communication and coordination, as well as capacity building are needed," he said quoted from Antara.

He reminded that the SPAB that was born during the COVID-19 pandemic did not only concern these non-natural disasters, but also other disasters.

This is because East Lombok is one of the areas that has the potential for complete disasters, ranging from floods, earthquakes, fires, to hurricanes.

"The potential for disaster still exists, even though the disaster index is in the medium category," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of the Education and Culture Office of East Lombok Regency, Ahmad Dewanto Hadi, said that the potential for disasters must be addressed organizationally and institutionally, so that the existence of Sekber will be developed for handling other disasters.

"This is one of our efforts in dealing with natural disasters that occur," he said.

Chairman of the Joint Secretariat of the SPAB Province of NTB Yuda Purwaka said the existence of the SPAB Secretariat was an effort to prepare a generation that was ready to survive.

The SPAB Secretariat is an implementation of the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation (Permendikbud) Number 33 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Disaster Safe Education Unit Program which clearly regulates the roles and functions of the central government, regional governments, and education units or schools.

"Sekber is to maximize the existing potential," he said.