502 Schools Heavily Damaged by NTT Earthquake, 923 Schools Closed

The educational landscape in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), Indonesia, has been severely impacted by a recent earthquake, with 502 schools reported to have sustained heavy damage. This destruction affects a significant portion of the region's educational infrastructure, impacting approximately 177,678 students and 21,166 teachers and staff.

Detailed assessments reveal that out of 8,664 classrooms, a substantial 5,521, or about 63.7%, are damaged. The situation is particularly dire for 2,229 of these classrooms, which have been rendered heavily damaged or completely destroyed. Beyond classrooms, damage has also been reported in school laboratories, libraries, sanitation facilities, and teacher housing.

In response to the widespread damage, 923 out of 1,159 reporting schools have been temporarily closed. Learning has been adapted, with some schools implementing remote learning or establishing emergency classrooms. The provincial government has directed that learning take place from homes and evacuation centers to ensure student safety amidst ongoing aftershocks.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is actively working to address the crisis. Efforts include identifying needs for educational support posts, distributing aid, and issuing guidelines for emergency learning. These guidelines prioritize essential literacy and numeracy skills, alongside psychosocial support for affected students and educators. The ministry is also preparing to deploy 100 tent classrooms to mitigate the immediate impact of the severe damage.