Tents for Emergency Schools Limited

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Students of SMP 3 Palu state junior high school collect data on the first day of school in Palu city, Central Sulawesi, Monday (15/10/2018). They also had the opportunity to exchange experiences with teachers and friends who were present. The activity was carried out in the school yard because they did not dare to enter the cracked school buildings.

PALU, KOMPAS – Classroom activities were severely limited on the first day of the reopening of schools in regions affected by the earthquakes and tsunami in Palu city and Sigi and Donggala regencies, Central Sulawesi, on Monday (15/10/2018). Many of the activities took place outdoors due to the limited availability of tents. Many students chose to stay at shelters on account of lasting traumas.

Kompas found that classroom activities involving teachers and students were generally conducted outdoors in several locations. The teachers and students mostly just sat on the ground and talked to one another. Only a few of them were wearing uniforms.

“I lost all my school uniforms. Only my sports uniform is still with me,” said Oktavianto, 15, a ninth grader at SMP 3 state junior high school in Palu, who came to his school in casual clothing.

Before his teacher and friends, Oktavianto shared his experiences on the day of the earthquake. “I am grateful for being here right now, but my classmate Anggi did not make it,” he said.

SMP 3 Palu principal Wiji Slamat said that, of the school’s 1,352 students, only around 100 came on Monday. “We did not dare to go inside the school building. It has not collapsed but its walls are severely damaged. We are focusing our activities on the school’s field,” he said.

Wiji continued that, of the school’s 66 teachers, one English teacher Rismawati, died when her house collapsed in the Balaroa housing complex in West Palu. Provisional reports showed that three students also died. “The rest are now in shelters and many of them sought safety in other towns,” Wiji said.

There were heartbreaking sights across many school grounds in Palu on Monday, as teachers and students began to gather again amid the scarcity of tents for emergency schools. Of the minimum requirement of 1,000 tent schools, only 18 have been established by the Education and Culture Ministry – which pledged to provide 405 tents.

Trauma

Sigi regency education agency acting head Kaimuddin said many students in local elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools had yet to return to school on Monday. Most are affected by lasting psychological trauma and are deeply afraid of further calamities. “Our job right now is to make a list of damaged schools and to encourage students to get back to school. It’s going to be tough but we’ll do what we can,” he said. Sigi requires 40 tents for emergency schools, of which only two have been established.

At the Balaroa main shelter in Jl. Sumur Yoeda, a tent is being used for an emergency school. Around a dozen children of various ages came to the tent, which was established on Sunday (14/10). “In this first phase, we just play around and sing together to support the children’s psychosocial conditions,” Social Affairs Ministry child welfare social worker Karina said.

SD Inpres Petobo state elementary school principal Indriani said the school used one tent for five classrooms. “Ideally, one tent should be for one classroom. When can we get this?” she said.

Central Sulawesi Education Agency head Irwan Lahore said the scarcity of tents for emergency schools had made learning activities less than optimal. The Education and Culture Ministry, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other social agencies have pledged to provide tents.

“I will make sure that they fulfill their pledges and that tents for emergency schools will soon be available,” Irwan said, adding that school supplies for students, including uniforms, stationeries and reading materials, were also urgently needed.

Rp 6 trillion earmarked

In Jakarta, the government said that it would prepare up to Rp 6 trillion (US$394.59 million) to establish a new city, to which Palu’s residential areas and public facilities affected by the earthquakes, tsunami and liquefaction would be relocated.

In order to finalize preparations for the new city, dubbed simply Palu Baru (New Palu), President Joko Widodo on Monday led a meeting with several ministers and state officials. In attendance at the meeting were State Secretary Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Willem Rampangilei and Development Finance Comptroller chief Ardan Ardiperdana.

After the meeting, Basuki told reporters that the government was preparing a master plan for Palu Baru, which would hopefully be completed by the end of the year.

The government will build new residences and public facilities for former residents of disaster-affected regions, especially Petobo and Balaroa where liquefaction occurred. Currently, the government has three alternatives for relocation zones, namely Duyu, Tondok and Pembewe. “We are studying the geological conditions of the three locations,” Basuki said.

The new city’s development is planned to begin next year for completion in 2020. The government will provide 1,200 temporary homes for locals in Donggala, Palu and Sigi during the new city’s construction. (IDO/AIN/NTA)