I

t was 6:30 a.m. and fourth-grader Maria Margaretha was preparing to start her social sciences class when the ceiling of her classroom at SDN 01 Utan Kayu Utara elementary school in East Jakarta collapsed and fell on her.

“I sat in the third row from the back. The ceiling fell onto me and my friends who sat on the back of the classroom. My back and head were really hurt. I am still having headaches now,” she said, recalling Tuesday morning’s incident.

One of Maria’s friends helped her to get out of the rubble. “I was shocked and crying. My teacher rushed me to a nearby clinic,” the 9-year-old girl said.

At the clinic, Maria found out that her mouth was bleeding. Yanne Lopatty, her grandmother, said that Maria’s teeth had been knocked out of place.

“After being treated at the clinic, she wanted to go back to her classroom to join the rest of the class. I did not let her. She looked so pale,” Yanne said at her house near the school building.

Faridah, the fourth-grade teacher, said that Maria had suffered the most severe injuries of all the other children in the incident. “The rest of the injured students rejoined the class the next day. Only Maria has to stay at home, resting,” Faridah said.

After the ceiling was repaired on Tuesday night, the class was back to its daily activities the next day.

SDN 01 Utan Kayu Utara’s building, which has six classrooms, one computer laboratory, one library and several office rooms for teachers and the principal, was renovated in 2009, acquiring Rp 900 million (US$101,700) of the city budget.

“It looked like the screws were too small; they couldn’t support the roof trusses,” Abdul Rasyid, East Jakarta basic education unit chief, said after he inspected the classroom.

Separately, two classrooms and a computer room at the school building shared by elementary schools SDN 13 Pagi and SDN 14 Petang Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, had been closed since Oct. 1, for safety reasons.

“The ceilings look like they might collapse at any time, so we would prefer not to use the classrooms until they are renovated and safe for our students,” said Abdul Murtofik, the SDN 13 Pagi Lubang Buaya principal.

Abdul said the school building was renovated in 2009 at a cost of Rp 1.25 billion.

“Eleven rooms were renovated, but not those three rooms. I have no idea why they did not renovate those rooms in 2009 too,” he said.

In December 2009, the school allocated Rp 10 million from the school operational budget to repair the classrooms.

“But it was only temporary. It still needs further renovation,” he said, adding that the school had submitted a proposal with the education agency to renovate the classrooms.

“The unit said the renovation would be included in the 2012 budget plan,” he added.

Suliyo T.P., SDN 14 Petang Lubang Buaya principal, said that they had temporarily relocated 160 students from four classes to SDN 05 Lubang Buaya, half of a kilometer from the school building.

“We will relocate them back once the rooms are renovated,” Suliyo said.

City councilor Wanda Hamidah said that the Jakarta administration allocated Rp 7.5 trillion for education this year, Rp 455 billion of which was allocated for infrastructure.

The education sector always receives the bulk of the city budget.

Last week, Governor Fauzi Bowo proposed a Rp 10.4 trillion share for education, or 30.76 percent of the proposed city budget for 2012. (swd)