VP Gibran Requests Accelerating Schools Recovery After Flores Earthquake

RRI.CO.ID, Borong – Indonesian Vice President (VP), Gibran Rakabuming, inspected State Senior High School 2 Sambi Rampas in East Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday, August 21, 2026, which was affected by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the province's Flores Island in mid-August. The country's Vice Presidential Secretariat on the same day said the visit was part of the government's efforts to ensure disaster response, including repairs to educational facilities, carried out quickly and effectively.

On this occasion, VP Gibran affirmed the importance of accelerating the repairs, starting with identifying and classifying the level of damage. He said management of educational facilities must consider the urgency and safety of the school community, with temporary spaces provided to prioritized schools with unusable buildings.

East Manggarai is known as one of the areas with the highest number of educational facilities damaged by the disaster. According to collected data, 265 educational facilities were damaged and required immediate attention, depending on the severity of the damage.

At State Senior High School 2 Sambi Rampas, the earthquake's impact was visible in several buildings. Buildings A and C, which house several classrooms, suffered wall damage. Meanwhile, the two-classroom Building B suffered severe, near-collapse damage.

Damage also visible in the library, with the ceiling collapsing and the floor cracking. Several office spaces, including the teachers' lounge, administration room, facilities and infrastructure room, and the principal's office, were also damaged, with the walls slanting.

Due to this condition, teaching and learning activities were temporarily suspended until August 28, 2026. The school has 31 teachers and 147 students.

In addition, in his agenda in the regency, Gibran also inspected disaster-affected locations and refugee posts. This included the Waso refugee post in North Lamba Leda District and several locations in the Sambi Rampas District.

During the visit, the vice president said post-disaster response will continue in a coordinated manner so that the people can return to normal activities, including for children. The secretariat said the Indonesian government ensures that public safety is the state's responsibility, while meeting the needs of affected residents is a priority in post-disaster management.