Ministry to Help 30 Universities Rebuild After Severe Sumatra Floods

Jakarta: The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology has laid out a comprehensive plan to help around 30 universities recover from the widespread floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Secretary-General Togar M. Simatupang said campuses in the three provinces suffered varying degrees of damage, with several experiencing severe access disruptions, power outages, and limited telecommunications.

“Approximately 6,437 members of the academic community have been directly affected. No fatalities or missing persons have been reported so far, though verification on the ground is still ongoing,” Simatupang as quoted from Antara, Tuesday, 2 December 2025.

Simatupang explained that the ministry will focus on rapid, science-driven disaster response efforts involving students, lecturers, university administrators, and local authorities.

The initiative will be carried out in two stages:

• Emergency handling, running until December 31, to meet urgent needs;
• Recovery and rehabilitation, beginning in 2026.

“We are also mobilizing resources from universities across Indonesia to assist impacted communities,” he added.

Universities to Serve as Coordination Hubs

Thirteen universities in the affected regions will be appointed as coordination centers for academic and recovery programs. Other institutions will contribute by providing technological support and expert personnel.

The ministry also urged university leaders to offer academic flexibility for displaced students and lecturers, ensuring learning can continue safely amid the disruptions.

To help those directly hit by the disaster, the ministry will activate its Center for Higher Education Financing and Assessment to distribute post-disaster living-expense assistance for affected students.