About 85 pct of schools in flood-hit Sumatra ready to resume classes

Sabtu, 3 Januari 2026 08:18 WIB

(251116) -- XILINGOL LEAGUE, Nov. 16, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Esnil instructs students in dancing at a primary school in Sonid Right Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Nov. 13, 2025. On the grasslands of Sonid Right Banner in Xilingol League, the sound of the morin khuur (a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument also known as the horse-headed-fiddle) echoed through the morning mist. Oyunjargal, a morin khuur player and a Khoomei (a traditional Mongolian singing art) performer with the Ulan Muqir art troupe of Sonid Right Banner, has made full preparations for a day's performance. He has worked with the troupe for thirteen years and traveled across the banner's seven Sumu (town) and fifty-eight Gacha (village). "Our performance goes to every place where herders live," Oyunjargal said. He and troupe members loaded their instruments and sound equipment onto a flow stage bus and drove to a border guard station in Jihuulengt Gacha of Erenuur Sumu, bringing a cultural performance to border patrolmen and herders there. Ulan Muqir (Red Bud Troupe) is the Mongolian name for a traveling troupe that goes from one grazing site to another, performing for the herdsmen in some of China's most remote areas. The first Ulan Muqir art troupe was formed in Sonid Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, in 1957. Since then, generations of artists have performed for the herdsmen and taken root in the prairie. Among the dancers of the troupe, Esnil is the youngest. After graduation from college, she chose to return to the grasslands instead of settling down in a big city. "I was born in a herdsman family, and that is why I wished to dance for the herdsman," said Esnil. Nowadays, she not only performs in rural areas with the troupe, but also goes to primary schools to teach children to dance and tell stories about the Ulan Muqir. From generation to generation, the members of the Ulan Muqir art troupe have taken roots in the grassland, sowing the

Kudus, Central Java (ANTARA) - Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti stated that around 85 percent of schools in three flood- and landslide-affected provinces in Sumatra are ready to resume classes in early January 2026.

Speaking after inaugurating the building revitalization of a school in Kudus, Central Java, on Friday, he explained that school readiness in North Sumatra and West Sumatra has reached 100 percent.Meanwhile, in Aceh, recovery efforts are still ongoing, particularly removing thick mud from affected school buildings.

"In Aceh, further cleanup is still required. Some schools can no longer be used and will have to be rebuilt. Some will be reconstructed on the same sites, while others must be relocated for safety reasons," he remarked.

During the recovery process, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is preparing several alternatives to ensure that school learning activities can continue.

Students who cannot yet access their school buildings will be directed to study at public facilities, such as community health centers and places of worship.

Additionally, the government has set up 54 emergency tents to serve as temporary classrooms.

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Minister Mu'ti noted that based on preliminary data, around 4,000 schools across the three provinces were affected by the devastating disasters. This figure is still being updated, as some areas remain difficult to reach.

"God willing, most schools will be able to resume classes on January 5, while others will start on January 12, 2026, depending on the local governments' policies," he said.

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To ensure the continuity of the learning process in affected areas, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has also prepared a flexible and adaptive emergency curriculum.

The curriculum is designed with several duration options, ranging from three months to one year, or even three years, tailored to the specific conditions of each region.

"What is most important is that children can continue learning," he stressed.