Kalasuara -

The Jakarta provincial government has set aside Rp48.15 billion to rebuild SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09, an elementary school whose building collapsed almost 20 months ago and left 274 students studying in a neighboring school. Governor Pramono Anung approved the budget on Friday, July 24, 2026, after the school's condition drew wide media attention.

The school, standing since 1974, will be merged with SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 11 Pagi under a "regrouping" scheme: combining the two schools into one new facility on SDN 09's old site. Santoso, head of the South Jakarta Region I education sub-office, said the move was taken "for effectiveness and efficiency in school-level management."

Pramono said student safety had been the priority from the start. "The safety of students and teachers is the priority. That is why teaching and learning were relocated to SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 11 in November 2024, so classes could continue safely," he said, as quoted in a Jakarta provincial government press release.

Why did repairs only speed up after the case went viral?

Damage data on SDN 09 had actually been moving through technical channels for some time, not something officials just learned about this week. The detailed engineering design was finished in 2025, and the Cipta Karya (Human Settlements) agency had already carried out soil analysis. But a budget adjustment cut the number of rehabilitation sites from 22 schools to seven, and SDN 09 ended up on the list for construction only in 2027. That decision reversed this week after the school's condition drew wide coverage, and the provincial government added four of the most critical school complexes, including SDN 09, to the 2026 schedule.

South Jakarta Mayor Syafrin Liputo said the collapse was tied to the age of the structure, not any past renovation. "The cause is of course that this school was built in 1974. It was renovated several times after that, but the renovations did not change the structure. So because it was worn down by age, it eventually collapsed," he said.

How 274 students have been getting by

Four classrooms, 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A, along with a school health unit room, were damaged in the collapse. All classes then moved to SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 11, with enrollment dropping from around 300 to 274 students across grades 1 through 6.

Kenhayati Dwi Rahmini, principal of SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09, said her students are split into 10 study groups, or rombel, that take turns using classrooms. "The students are temporarily staying next door. There are 274 of them, if I'm not mistaken. There are 10 rombel," she said. Grade 1 students attend from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., she said, after which the same room is used by another group until 5 p.m. That schedule has pushed lessons into the afternoon and evening and disrupted some students' Quran study sessions.

Rp249 billion for four schools, not just one

SDN 09 is not the only school getting its rebuild fast-tracked this year. The provincial government estimates the budget needed for four badly damaged school complexes, SDN Kebayoran Lama Selatan 09 and 11, SMAN 102 Jakarta, SDN Cempaka Putih Barat 03, and SDN Papanggo 01 together with TKN Papanggo 01, at around Rp249 billion. That covers construction, construction consulting, and transport and storage rental, to be funded through the revised regional budget (APBD Perubahan) and non-budget sources, including compensation for exceeding building floor-area ratios.

Of the 22 schools that have received technical recommendations for full rehabilitation, only seven were originally budgeted for 2026-2027. Adding the four critical complexes brings the number of schools being handled this year to 11, leaving 11 more still slated for 2027.

The provincial government will also form a team to inventory school building damage, giving it one month to inspect school buildings across Jakarta and verify the status of the land and structures.

What to watch next

Demolition of SDN 09's old building is set to finish by August 2026, so construction can start in September and wrap up in about 10 months. Details of how the Rp48.15 billion will be split between the revised regional budget and non-budget sources have not yet been announced. The inventory team's findings over the coming month will determine whether the 11 schools not yet on the 2026 schedule keep waiting until 2027, or get fast-tracked like SDN 09.