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52 schools, or one school per week – this is the remarkable result UNICEF has achieved since opening its first permanent schools almost exactly one year ago.

To commemorate this significant achievement, UNICEF, the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Executing Agency Aceh - Nias (BRR), students and teachers, school principals, community members and representatives of the Aceh Government celebrated together at a colorful ceremony at the newly finished school SDN 17 in Banda Aceh.

“I love my new school!”, says SDN 17 student Budhi excitedly, as she is checking out her new classroom on the second floor. “It’s so clean and big! I think I will really like studying here!” Like all UNICEF schools, SDN 17 has child-friendly features such as spacious classrooms, separate toilets for boys and girls and a large courtyard.

UNICEF schools are also safe, setting new standards in earthquake resistance. To the community around SDN 17, their new 2-story school building is an important step towards a “normal” life and a better learning environment for their students, after the tsunami completely washed away the original school and killed most of the students here almost three years ago.

The three classrooms of UNICEF’s semi permanent school, in which the students studied while construction was ongoing, will now be used as a community meeting room, a health clinic and a playroom.

The 52 already completed schools are part of UNICEF’s ongoing effort to enable access to basic education for all elementary students in Aceh and Nias. Besides the 52 schools, 107 more are under construction and 55 are under tendering.  

“Together we have made it already possible for the students of 52 schools to study in a safe and proper environment. We will continue our work to make sure all children in Aceh and Nias have a good school to study in,” says Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Indonesia.

To reach the most vulnerable children, UNICEF has expanded its construction program to include six conflict-affected districts.

“We will not leave children behind just because they live in very remote areas”, says Gianfranco Rotigliano. “In the six added districts, school enrolment and school access are extremely low. Every child has a right to basic education, and we will make sure this right gets fulfilled also for the children in conflict-affected areas.” In total, UNICEF is now working in 13 districts.

Almost exactly one year ago, on September 18, 2007, UNICEF opened its first two permanent schools, Muhammadiyah 1 and 2. Two stories high, painted in white and dark green, the beautiful double school stands tall and strong in this part of Banda Aceh which was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami of 2004.

“We are very happy about our school”, says Ibu Ros, teacher at Muhammadiyah 2. All facilities, she says, are being used regularly. Take, for example, the multipurpose hall: The new class “Life Skills” is held here, allowing activities such as dancing, cooking and singing. Also community and teachers use the room regularly for meetings and seminars.

Hasna, 7 years old and a 2nd grade student at Muhammadiyah 1, loves coming to school – especially to spend time in the library. “I read a lot of books there, I don’t have books at home”, she says. She also enjoys playing badminton in the spacious courtyard or hide and seek with her friends on the first and second floor.

The original Muhammadiyah 1 and 2 were located in one of the most affected areas of Banda Aceh, Lampaseh Kota, about five kilometers away from the sea. The whole area was washed away by the tsunami, including the two schools. When the school was hit, the wave was still 2.7 meters high. Two teachers and 120 students died. Today, a small memorial statue in the courtyard reminds of the victims of the disaster.