Thousands of Indonesian children who survived a deadly earthquake in May returned to school yesterday, attending classes under tents erected near the rubble of their old classrooms.
The magnitude 5.9 quake on May 27 killed more than 5,700 people and made up to a million homeless on Java island. Aid agencies estimated that as many as 2,000 schools were flattened or damaged.
Although schools were declared open, some did not hold lessons and many children didn't have uniforms. In some villages, there were not enough chairs.
PHOTO: AP
Muhamad Ikhsan, 10, struggled to Plered Elementary School Number 2 on crutches. His leg had been broken by a falling wall before his mother pulled him to safety during the quake.
"I'm still hurting and have only been walking for a week," he said. "I'm sad because I can't follow marching band lessons."
Fahrudin, a young student who uses only one name, said he was going to miss reading after the school's library was destroyed.
"For the first day in school, we didn't hold full lessons," said headmaster Sunarto, who goes by one name.
Aid workers have focused resources on education, saying attending school is essential to restore a sense of normalcy.
"Learning provides the opportunity and space for children to begin focusing on the future and take their mind off the disaster," child relief organization Plan said in a statement. "It gets them involved, active and once again feeling useful."
Most of the schools now have temporary tents made of bamboo and tarpaulins, and are equipped with desks, chairs and a blackboard. Books, pens and paper have also been provided by the government and aid agencies.
Rebuilding permanent schools has only just begun in hardest hit districts to the south of Yogyakarta in central Java.
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