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Ten days after an “apocalyptic” earthquake and tsunami struck a city on Sulawesi island, northeast of Jakarta, students and staff were asked to return to schools to collect information on survivors.
No classes were held. The country’s Ministry of Education and Culture will decide when schools will reopen.
A national disaster agency said that across the city, nine schools were destroyed, 22 teachers were killed and 14 were missing, adding that 140 tents had been set up for classes.
Students in the small Indonesian city of Palu began returning to school last Monday (8 October) in hopes to see their friends. Some also went to help tidy up classrooms. They found out that they had to turn up to school through messages on Facebook and WhatsApp.
School principal Kasiludin said authorities told all teachers to show up for work from Monday to collect information on student numbers.
“We won’t force the students to come back because many are traumatised. But we must start again soon to keep their spirits up and so they don’t fall behind,” he said. The school had lost at least seven students and one teacher.
According to Reuters, fewer than 50 of its 697 students showed up at one middle school. The principal Abdul Rashid said he was aware of four students killed in the quake.
“Classes haven’t started. We’re only collecting data to find out how many students are safe,” he said. “I don’t think we’re ready. Many children are traumatized and frightened.”
Videos of the devastating disaster circulated just days after it first hit the city on 28 September. Besides the destruction of many buildings, the quake also caused soil liquefaction, which led to terrifying instances of entire neighbourhoods being swallowed up.
The official death toll rose to 1,948 and the search for survivors is still ongoing. No one knows how many people are missing but it could be as high as 5,000.
About 70,000 people have been displaced and many are living in basic shelters in Palu and surrounding hills. A plan to relocate communities is being drawn up, the agency said.
Debris would be cleared and areas hit by liquefaction would be turned into parks and sports venues and will include memorials. The government has allocated IDR 560 billion (US$37 million) to help victims of the earthquake.