Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is racing to reopen schools in flood- and landslide-hit areas of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra after floods leave one million people displaced, saying children’s rights to education must be restored quickly.
“We are working intensively to stabilize the situation, including resuming school operations. Conditions are gradually improving,” Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said Tuesday.
Yusuf said schools in disaster zones will receive immediate support from local governments and national teams deployed to affected areas.
“Alongside restoring infrastructure, rescuing residents remains the priority. But reopening schools is also essential. Some areas are still isolated, yet all resources have been mobilized. We expect progress within one to three days,” he said.
The ministry continues to assist residents across the three provinces. As of Monday, Dec. 1, the value of buffer-stock logistics distributed reached Rp14.5 billion (US$844,000).
The ministry is also running public and independent kitchens with a combined budget of about Rp4.5 billion (US$262,000).
In West Sumatra, these kitchens can serve roughly 30,000 meals per day across Padang City, Padang Pariaman, Pasaman Barat and Pesisir Selatan.
In North Sumatra, they provide another 30,000 meals per day in 12 locations including Mandailing Natal, Langkat and North Tapanuli.
In Aceh, capacity stands at about 28,000 meals per day across seven locations such as Subulussalam and Pidie Jaya.
The numbers are expected to rise as more kitchens open, with daily updates to be issued based on field conditions.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), floods and landslides across the three provinces have left 631 people dead, 472 missing and 2,600 injured, with one million displaced.
