Community Members of SDN12 Banda Aceh Are Not Discouraged by Limitations

Before July 2008, teaching and learning activities of SDN 12 was located at its usual address, Jalan Taman Makam Pahlawan Peuniti, Banda Aceh. However, since July 2008 until now, the school's activities have been relocated to SDN 3 Peniti because, as one of Banda Aceh Municipality school-rebuilding grants recipients, the school's class rooms and other facilities of SDN 12 are being rebuilt. Although SDN 12 community members are grateful that SDN 3 is nice enough to lend their class rooms, many of the teachers and students still feel out of place. Because of class room limitation, SDN 12 teaching and learning activities have to be conducted after those of SDN 3 are done in the afternoon. Also, not only SDN 12 principal, Bapak Ibrahim, and the teachers do not have their own room, they are not able to easily access the school's documents because these files are kept at Bapak Ibrahim's house.

SDN 12 under construction

However, Bapak Ibrahim and his colleagues are not discouraged by these limitations. When approached by Bapak Syarifuddin, DBE1-trained District Facilitator, for the school to update its school development plan into school yearly plan (Rencana Kerja Tahunan/RKT,) Bapak Ibrahim did not hesitate to join the process. He understands that RKT is necessary to guide school in its budget allocation and plans implementation for the next year.

Although the team members had to develop the school's RKT in a class room while the school was still in session and had no access to computer, they were determined to complete the process. Because of this RKT development activity, more team members realized that SDN 3 shuts off its electricity when its school session is over for the day, leaving students of SDN 12 to study in the dark. To overcome this situation, principal of SDN 3 and SDN 12 agreed to share the electricity bill so that children did not have to study in the dark anymore and RKT development process could still be continued until later in the evening.

Currently, RKT of SDN 12 is completed. The principal, teachers, and other members of the school are looking forward to implementing the programs in the plan to complement the new building and facilities that they will also have in the near future. Congratulations to SDN 12 for their hard work!