Suara Pembaruan
16 June, 2004

PIDIE: 611 school that were burned by Free Aceh Movement (GAM) since the imposition of martial law since 2003 in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), will soon be rebuilt.

The rebuilding of the schools will be funded by the national budget (APBN), provincial income budget (APBD) and assistance from governors elsewhere in Indonesia.

This information was given by the head of NAD’s education department, Drs Anas M Adam MPd in his speech during the opening ceremony to rebuild Senior high School (SMU) Negeri 2 Bandar Baru, Pidie district on Saturday afternoon (12/6). In addition, Anas said that more than 1,000 school buildings from various levelsof education have been burned in Aceh, and suggested that this was likely done by people who want children to be stupid and for there to be a lost generation in Aceh. This evidence cannot deny this has happened because just in the period 2003, 611 schools were burned in Aceh.

The burning schools have not only occurred during martial law 2003. According to records from the education department of NAD, the burning of schools actions has occurred since the year 1992-2002. In total 547 schools have been affected. And during martial law 2003, in total 610 have been attacked. In addition, yesterday in central Aceh only one school has been attacked in 2004. From 1992 to 2004, a total of 1,158 schools have been burned. The burning of schools has been carried out systematically not just by accident, this has been done to create a generation of uneducated in Aceh.

The impact of burning in 1998 until today has given results to the people who want children to be uneducated in Aceh. The result of the final national examination (UAN) last year showed this. The result of examination last year showed a decrease in success.

Last year, average exam scores were down 0.5 percent, and this year student’s average score reduced even further, by 0.6 percent. It is thought that the worsening in exam results is due directly to the burning of schools and terror towards the teacher, the disturbances towards the education in Aceh that has been going on must be stopped by all parties. (147)