Only 18 Emergency Schools Ready

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Iwan and Eva sit with their children in the tent where they are currently staying in an evacuation site in Loli Canal village, Banawa district, Donggala regency, Central Sulawesi, Sunday (14/10/2018). Family tents make the victims of the earthquake and tsunami safer and more comfortable so that the process of trauma healing can be accelerated.

PALU, KOMPAS – Students in regions affected by the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Central Sulawesi are resuming their school activities this Monday (15/10/2018). However, of the 1,000 tents planned for emergency schools, only 18 have been prepared. Consequently, school activities will not be optimal.

Central Sulawesi Education Agency head Irwan Lahace said in Palu on Sunday (14/10) that 956 schools in Central Sulawesi were affected by the earthquakes and tsunami on Sept. 28. The figure covered 1,001 heavily damaged classrooms, 2,066 moderately damaged classrooms and 1,484 lightly damaged classrooms.

“Right now, we need equipment instead of money. Where should we purchase school supplies in a situation like this? We urgently need tents for temporary classrooms,” Irwan said.

According to him, the Education and Culture Ministry had pledged to provide 405 tents for emergency schools. However, only 18 such schools have been established thus far. International organizations have also pledged to provide 450 tents for schools, but nothing has been made available.

Provisional data from the Central Sulawesi Education Agency showed that the 956 heavily damaged schools had a total of 141,946 students. The data also showed that 59 students died in the disasters, 82 are missing, 103 are in medical care, 37 are suffering from severe injuries and 29,327 currently live in shelters.

Furthermore, 22 teachers died, 18 are missing, three are suffering from severe injuries, 193 are in medical care and 2,048 are living in shelters in Palu and other regions.

Donations and loans

Separately, during the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank (IMF-WB) Group in Bali on Oct. 8-14, Indonesia received disaster relief aid from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan. The funds will be used to accelerate post-disaster recovery in Central Sulawesi and in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The government said it would be prudent in taking out loans so as not to put financial burdens on the state coffers amid global uncertainty.

The World Bank has offered relief aid of US$1 billion. The aid can be distributed in cash transfers to 150,000 of the poorest families affected by the disasters in 6-12 months.

“The World Bank’s aid can be used to accelerate reconstruction process,” World Bank chief executive officer Kristalina Georgieva said in Bali on Sunday.

Other than cash transfers, the Indonesian government has also proposed loans for the reconstruction of public facilities and important infrastructures such as hospitals, schools, bridges, roads and clean water supply installation. Apart from loans, the World Bank will also provide donation of US$5 million for technical reconstructions in disaster-affected regions.

The ADB has also agreed to provide an emergency loan of US$1 billion, outside of the bank’s annual donation of around US$2 billion for Indonesia. Loans have special rules, including a grace period of eight years and a repayment period of 32 years. The ADB will also provide technical assistance for damage assessment and reconstruction planning.

During the annual meetings in Bali, the Japanese Finance Ministry also pledged to provide emergency aid including tents, electricity generators and water purifiers, worth 24 million yens (US$214,089.64). Japan will also provide special guidance to reduce earthquake and tsunami risks in several regions, in the form of a donation of Rp 187.5 billion (US$12.31 million).

According to a World Bank study, the cost of infrastructural damages due to the disasters in Central Sulawesi may reach US$531 million or Rp 8.07 trillion. This includes Rp 2.75 trillion in damaged houses, Rp 2.82 trillion in non-housing damages and Rp 2.5 trillion in infrastructure damages.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government would be prudent in taking out loans for disaster recovery in Lombok and Central Sulawesi. Loans will be adjusted with the state’s tax receipts in order to prevent increasing state budget deficits. Relevant policies will consider global uncertainties, reference rate increases and tightening liquidity (KRN/AIN/IDO)