The Indonesian government, along with the Aceh government, has demonstrated a strong commitment to post-disaster education recovery in the affected areas of Aceh. The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), Prof. Dr. Abdul Mu'ti, assessed that Aceh is best prepared for education rehabilitation and reconstruction compared to the other two provinces in Sumatra affected by the floods.
Mendikdasmen Prof. Dr. Abdul Mu'ti, personally inspected several disaster-affected schools in North Aceh Regency, including those still conducting classes in emergency tents.
During the visit, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Abdul Mu'ti visited several educational institutions in North Aceh Regency, including State Vocational High School 1 Baktiya, State Senior High School 2 Muara Batu, Kesuma Bangsa High School, Muhammadiyah Junior High School and Elementary School, State Elementary School 9 Jambo Aye, and State Senior High School 1 Baktiya.
The visit centered on State Senior High School 1 Baktiya. At the school, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education inaugurated classrooms from the completed 2025 school revitalization program. This revitalization program covers various levels of education, from kindergarten to vocational high school.
In his remarks, Abdul Mu'ti emphasized that post-disaster recovery is a national priority, as directed by President Prabowo Subianto. Therefore, the central government is focusing budget allocation on the rehabilitation and revitalization of educational facilities, especially in disaster-affected areas.
"Post-disaster recovery is a top priority. School revitalization, both light and heavy rehabilitation, must be completed immediately so that the teaching and learning process can return to normal," said Abdul Mu'ti.
He stated that of the three provinces focused on post-disaster management, Aceh is considered the most prepared. This readiness is evidenced by the implementation of technical guidance (bimtek) for accelerating rehabilitation and reconstruction (rehab-rekon) in the education sector.
On that occasion, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education also conveyed President Prabowo's greetings to the Governor of Aceh and expressed his appreciation for the Aceh Government's full support in the education recovery process.
"The Aceh Government's support has been instrumental in ensuring the smooth running of the education rehabilitation and reconstruction program. It is hoped that by the end of the new academic year, the rehabilitated schools will be fully utilized, including their furniture," he said.
Meanwhile, regarding the construction of new schools and the relocation of severely impacted schools, Abdul Mu'ti estimates that they can be utilized in the following semester, namely the 2026-2027 academic year.
Meanwhile, the Acting Head of the Aceh Education Office, Murthalamuddin, expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the central government's attention and support for the recovery of the education sector in Aceh.
He encouraged all educational institutions, especially those affected by the disaster, to make optimal use of these policies and support.
"We encourage all school principals, teachers, and education stakeholders in Aceh to expedite this rehabilitation and reconstruction process. Collaboration between the central and regional governments is key to ensuring the swift recovery and improved quality of education services for Aceh's children," said Murthalamuddin.
Murthalamuddin emphasized that the Aceh Education Office will continue to monitor the rehabilitation process to ensure it meets standards, is timely, and truly impacts the comfort and safety of students.
The Regional Secretary of the Aceh Government, M. Nasir Syamaun, during the inauguration of 201 school principals in Banda Aceh, reminded that 56,000 children aged 16-18 are still out of school, despite the Aceh Government distributing scholarships to 93,579 orphans in 2025. He instructed that this problem be resolved in each region to prevent it from becoming a time bomb for Aceh's education system in the future.[]
