Post-Disaster Sumatra: Schools Reopen, but 97 Sites Must Be Relocated
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- Pemerintah memastikan seluruh 4.922 sekolah terdampak bencana Sumatera sudah menggelar kegiatan belajar mengajar, meski sebagian masih menumpang fasilitas lain.
- Sebanyak 97 lokasi sekolah dinilai tidak layak dan harus dipindahkan, memicu kebutuhan koordinasi lintas sektor untuk pengadaan tanah dan perbaikan akses jalan.
- Target penyelesaian rehabilitasi 4.992 fasilitas pendidikan dipatok hingga 2029, namun pemerintah berupaya mempercepat agar pembelajaran tidak berlangsung dalam kondisi darurat.
JAKARTA – Teaching and learning activities in areas affected by Sumatra's hydrometeorological disaster have been declared fully operational. The head of the Task Force for Accelerating Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, Tito Karnavian, said that of the 4,922 affected schools, all are now holding educational activities, albeit with various limitations.
"In principle, of the 4,922 schools, thank God 100 percent are running. That is the most important thing," Tito said in a statement at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jakarta, Wednesday (23/9/2026). He stressed that no students have to study in emergency tents anymore, although some are still occupying temporary classrooms or sharing space at other schools.
The government targets comprehensive repairs to 4,992 education facilities in the affected areas by 2029. Tito said the three-year deadline is being pushed to be accelerated so that learning activities can return to an ideal atmosphere, not merely an emergency one.
Although the achievement is relatively fast, a number of structural challenges still loom. Tito highlighted 97 school sites that must be relocated due to landslides triggered by the disaster in late November 2025. The relocation process requires coordination with local governments for land acquisition, a stage that often takes time because it involves land clearing and spatial planning adjustments.
In addition, road access to a number of affected schools also needs repair. The Ministry of Home Affairs will coordinate with the Ministry of Public Works to accelerate repairs to supporting infrastructure. Without adequate access, the distribution of building materials and the mobility of teaching staff risk being hampered.
"There are several obstacles, including the issue of 97 school sites that must be relocated. This requires coordination with local governments for land acquisition," Tito said.
For the Indonesian public, especially parents and business actors in affected areas, the recovery of the education sector is not just about buildings. The presence of normally functioning schools is a key pillar of local economic recovery: learning activities reignite household consumption, open space for MSMEs around schools, and hold back urbanization as families choose to move for their children's education.
From a fiscal policy standpoint, accelerating school rehabilitation is also a test of the effectiveness of post-disaster regional spending. Central and regional governments are required to ensure that rehabilitation budgets are not held up by administrative processes, especially for land acquisition, which is often a dispute-prone point. Transparency in determining relocation sites will determine whether the 2029 target can be met without leaving new problems behind.
Going forward, the big question is no longer whether schools are reopening, but how quickly learning quality can be restored to pre-disaster levels. If the relocation of 97 sites and road access repairs are not completed soon, the risk of learning loss for thousands of students in Sumatra will continue to loom. The government has the political capital to accelerate, but execution on the ground still depends on cross-ministerial and local government coordination.
