Ministry Revitalizes 1,488 Schools in East Nusa Tenggara

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education is launching a major educational infrastructure overhaul across East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) in 2026, allocating IDR 1.2 trillion (USD 76.6 million) to revitalize 1,488 schools, led by the immediate reconstruction of SDN Mboeng in East Manggarai Regency.

The province-wide initiative represents a significant scaling up from 2025, when 580 educational units were renovated across NTT. The 2026 program prioritizes eliminating makeshift and hazardous learning quarters, replacing them with permanent, safe facilities.

The urgency of the project is exemplified by SDN Mboeng, where students have been forced to study in four emergency classrooms, partially constructed through self-funded contributions from parents, and two severely damaged units that were deemed unsafe. Ministry officials conducted direct field assessments at the East Manggarai school to jumpstart structural repairs this year, ensuring basic infrastructure and electrical support are established so modern learning aids, such as newly dispatched interactive digital boards, can function effectively in remote regions.

Education ministry directors emphasized that expanding capital allocation for eastern Indonesia's educational facilities is vital to closing the regional infrastructure gap and replacing makeshift classrooms with permanent, safe learning spaces.

Director of Primary Schools at the ministry Moch Salim Somad detailed the scope and funding expansion of the NTT-wide school revitalization project.

"In 2025, 580 educational units were targeted for revitalization across NTT, but for 2026 the commitment is significantly higher, backed by a total budget reaching IDR 1.2 trillion for 1,488 schools, the core objective is not merely fixing damaged physical structures, but creating a safer, healthier, and fully supportive learning environment across the province so students no longer study in hazardous conditions," Salim said in Jakarta on Thursday, September 10, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He outlined the immediate intervention planned specifically for SDN Mboeng in East Manggarai. "The Ministry officials have inspected the site directly, and repairs for both the severely damaged classrooms and emergency structures will proceed immediately this year, we recognize that some of the existing class structures were previously built through the independent initiatives and self-funding of students' parents, and the state is now stepping in to ensure complete and permanent facility upgrades," Salim added. ***