Government reports 2,447 Flores schools hit by quake, Rp50 billion pledged for recovery

Jakarta — Indonesia’s education ministry and local media report that 2,447 schools across seven districts on Flores Island were affected by the mid-August earthquake, disrupting learning for nearly 288,000 students and more than 32,000 teachers. The government has begun rolling out an initial Rp50 billion education recovery package focused on the most heavily damaged schools.

According to the Ministry of Education’s Directorate General for Primary and Secondary Education, data compiled up to 10 September show 2,447 education units from early childhood centres through senior high schools and special education were impacted by the Flores earthquake. The disruption affected 287,864 students and 32,585 teachers and education staff.

A government information service reported the same figures, noting that 730 of the affected schools suffered heavy damage and that 8,728 of 13,750 reported classrooms were damaged. The ministry stated that learning activities continue, but in many places they are being carried out in emergency conditions.

Local coverage from East Nusa Tenggara described the situation on the ground, reporting that 1,960 of the 2,447 affected schools are still holding classes in tents, open spaces or temporary structures. The report quoted the ministry’s director for special and inclusive education saying that these schools are using “emergency learning modes” while waiting for repairs or temporary classrooms.

To support recovery, the Directorate General for Primary and Secondary Education has launched an initial revitalisation programme worth about Rp50 billion for 187 affected schools

The same reports state that the education ministry is also preparing temporary facilities to keep classes running during reconstruction. These include hundreds of temporary classrooms funded through a separate allocation of several billion rupiah, alongside the distribution of emergency tents to schools whose buildings can no longer be used safely.

Earlier ministry data released in late August had recorded 1,918 damaged education facilities and 665 schools with heavy structural damage across seven Flores districts, indicating that the number of affected schools increased as field verification progressed. The latest figures consolidate impacts across Manggarai, Manggarai Timur, Manggarai Barat, Ngada, Nagekeo, Ende and Sikka, the seven districts repeatedly cited in ministry and media reporting.

Officials have emphasised that all 2,447 affected education units have resumed some form of learning activity as of mid-September, even though many are still operating under emergency conditions. The government’s stated priority is to stabilise schooling for affected children while accelerating both permanent repairs and the deployment of temporary classrooms in the hardest-hit areas.

Sources

• InfoPublik Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika
• Topik.id
• IDSch.id
• Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)
• POS-Kupang / Tribunnews NTT