Built Since The Dutch Age And Sturdy Until Today, SDN 207 Banda Naira, Maluku Is Worthy Of Being A Cultural Heritage

Director of Cultural Development and Utilization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Restu Gunawan (Via ANTARA)

AMBON - Director of Cultural Development and Utilization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Restu Gunawan assessed that the 207 State Elementary School (SDN) building in Banda Naira, Banda Islands, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, deserves to be designated as a cultural heritage and historical site.

"This public elementary school building is a relic of the Dutch colonial era and is still maintained according to its original condition. So it is very worthy of being a cultural heritage," he said in Banda Naira, as reported by Antara, Monday, June 20.

"This is very worthy of being used as a cultural heritage because it has a very high historical value in the context of education. Moreover, the buildings, including benches and study tables in the Dutch era, are still well-maintained and used for the teaching and learning process of students," he said.

Restu, who came to Banda Island using the KRI Dewaruci with the 2022 Spice Line Cultural Goods group, visited SDN 207 and had a dialogue with students and teachers at the school last Sunday.

The SDN 207 building was built in 1921. The building was made without using nails. The pillars are wooden blocks and the walls are made of planks and a mixture of limestone.

The head of SDN 207 Suratna Bugis said that the SDN 207 building originally consisted of five rooms, but now only four rooms are in good condition, three are used for classrooms and one for the teacher's room.

"Learning chairs from the Dutch era are also still used today for the teaching and learning process for grade one to grade three students. I hope this school building can be used as a cultural heritage by the government so that it is preserved as it was originally," he said.

The SDN 207 building is a former school that was established for the people of Banda Island during the Dutch colonial period.

It was originally called the Malay School and was later changed to the Ordinary Class People's School. A few months after Indonesia's independence in August 1945, the school changed its name to Sekolah Rakyat (SR) I.

In 1962 the name of the school was changed again to SDN 1 Naira and the rooms were increased by two to six. Furthermore, the name of the school will change again to SDN 207 Central Maluku in 2021.

Restu will check with the North Maluku Cultural Conservation Preservation Center whose working area includes the provinces of Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua to find out the assessment of the SDN 207 building as a cultural heritage.

Furthermore, he said, the central government together with the provincial government and district governments will discuss the plan for the preservation of the school building.

"In the past there were five rooms, now there are only four rooms. Whether it will be converted into five rooms again or only four rooms and still be maintained and cared for according to their original condition, later there will be an assessment team that will discuss it," he said.

"This is an old building and does not interfere with the children's school activities. The tools are still suitable. The benches and the building are still in good condition because they were built with the best wood," he said.

Restu appreciated the community's efforts to maintain the old school building. "This is an example of community conservation that is done independently," he said.

He also stated that Banda Island is rich in historical heritage and deserves to be used as a historical site and cultural heritage.

"Almost all places on this island are historic. Many buildings are scattered from the past and all of them can be used as cultural heritage. Most importantly, the determination process must be carried out together and according to procedures. I will check whether everything has been designated as cultural heritage or not," he said.