December 19, 2005— The children of the Genpa sub-district in Aceh have finally returned to a permanent school, after studying in emergency school tents since early this year. Their new school building, better than many others in the country, is a sign of the reconstruction process now underway in Aceh, following last year’s tsunami, which had a devastating impact on the education system Some 2500 teaching and non teaching staff died because of the tsunami. About 2000 schools were destroyed, leaving about 260,000 students without a place to learn. Despite the magnitude of the disaster and trauma experienced by the children of Aceh who lost family, school friends and teachers, make-shift schools reopened for the surviving students just four weeks after the tsunami struck. Now, through a team effort from the provincial education agency, supported by local and international organizations and donors, all the schools, which were destroyed or damaged will be either rebuilt or rehabilitated in the coming months.  |  |  | | The students of Genpa subdistrict's SD7 playing in front of their new school building during recess. |
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The Sampoerna Foundation, an Indonesian non government organization (NGO) whose priority is education, was among the first on the ground, delivering relief and working to get schools back up and running. With funding from the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, and others, the foundation was able to provide emergency school packages so schooling could continue in the early months after the tsunami - albeit in tents with volunteer teachers. One Acehnese volunteer in this effort, Sufiani Liasnita, a Sampoerna scholar reading law at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, emphasized the value of these schools. “It was important for the children to return to school quickly so that they could forget the trauma. Of course they could not forget completely, but at least, while they were at school, studying and continuing normal life helped lessen their trauma.” Now only six out of Sampoerna’s 130 emergency tents remain. The rest of the tent schools have made way for either permanent or semi-permanent buildings. At Genpa’s elementary school, SD 7, the boisterous children playing in their new school grounds seem much like other elementary school students, showing few signs of the upheaval of their lives just about a year ago. However challenges remain. Besides the shortage of textbooks and other materials, the rehabilitation of the education sector in Aceh still depends on rebuilding the capacity of its teachers. The schools have managed to quickly find replacements for the 2500 teaching and non-teaching staff lost in the tsunami. But the emphasis is now on improving the quality of teaching through efforts like teacher training. Sampoerna’s field coordinator in Aceh, Ramang Basuki explains: “After years of conflict, Aceh’s education system has been one of the weakest in the country. It’s not just about rebuilding schools but also improving the quality of education. At least after the upgrading of the schools, there is hope that education in Aceh will be much better off than before the tsunami. It has been a slow process but it’s getting better.” “But for now,” he adds, smiling, “hidup jalan tearus…life goes on.” |
