Sumatra Post-Disaster Schooling Resumes Full Participation Rates

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The government has confirmed that educational activities in disaster-affected areas across Sumatra are gradually returning to normal. In the provinces of North Sumatra and West Sumatra, teaching and learning activities have reached 100 percent participation, although operations are not yet fully optimal.

This update was provided by the Elementary and Secondary Education Minister, Abdul Mu'ti, during a working meeting with Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

"For disaster-affected areas, we are continuously striving to accelerate recovery. As a general update, in West Sumatra and North Sumatra, learning activities have resumed 100 percent. However, the conditions are admittedly not yet ideal," he said.

The Minister explained that learning schemes in both provinces vary based on post-disaster conditions. Some schools are currently sharing facilities with other institutions, while others have implemented a shift-based system to accommodate students.

"First, there are those still hosting classes at other schools. Second, some are back at their own schools but using a shift system, some in the morning and others in the afternoon, while some are still conducting lessons in temporary tents," he elaborated.

Despite these challenges, the Minister emphasized that every school in North and West Sumatra has officially restarted the educational process. Meanwhile, in Aceh Province, the recovery rate has reached approximately 95 percent.

Several schools, particularly in the Aceh Tamiang Regency, were reported to have sustained severe structural damage. "The areas that haven't reached full capacity are primarily in Aceh Tamiang because some schools suffered very heavy damage," he said.

Minister Abdul Mu'ti added that his ministry has coordinated with the Army Chief of Staff (KASAD) to expedite the repair and resolution of educational infrastructure issues in the affected regions.

"We recently held a meeting with the Army Chief of Staff to collaborate on accelerating the recovery. The condition and extent of the damage require serious attention and cross-ministerial cooperation," he concluded. (Annaila Azzahra/Bambang MBKA)