Education ministry seeks additional Rp2.4T budget for Sumatra recovery

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is seeking an additional budget of Rp2.4 trillion (approximately US$142.1 million) for Sumatra post-disaster recovery in the education sector.

Speaking in a coordination meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Wednesday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti said that the additional budget will be used for various purposes, including school revitalization, teacher allowance, and equipment assistance.To speed up the recovery process, the ministry has prepared several work plans for the final two weeks of February.

One of these plans includes holding further coordination meetings on post-disaster reconstruction with education offices across the three provinces affected by floods and landslides in Sumatra: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Additionally, the ministry will proceed with signing school revitalization cooperation agreements with a target of 1,204 schools.

Thirdly, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will continue the verification and account creation process for 13,000 teachers to distribute the Special Teacher Allowance, with a budget totalling Rp83.3 billion.

The ministry will also resume the distribution of government assistance in the form of equipment, including information technology tools, laboratory and sports equipment, cleaning supplies, and educational toys, totaling Rp60 billion.

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“Broadly speaking, learning activities in the three disaster-affected provinces have reached 100 percent resumption, although conditions are not yet ideal. Some students are still studying in tents or emergency classrooms, while others use other schools' facilities,” Mu'ti remarked.

In response, Chair of Commission X of the DPR, Hetifah Sjaifudian, expressed support for the proposal of an additional budget of Rp2.4 trillion to ensure the school revitalization process is carried out immediately.

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Meanwhile, Deputy Chair of Commission X of the DPR, MY Esti Wijayanti, urged the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education not to hesitate in requesting sufficient funding to accelerate the recovery of educational services following the Sumatra disasters.