Wild elephants keep 13 schools in Aceh on remote learning

As of 8:26 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

A herd of wild elephants roaming near villages in Indonesia's Aceh province has kept 13 schools on remote learning since Thursday, Nov. 5, and local officials said Monday the measure would continue because the animals were still near people's homes.

"Based on the report we received last night, the elephants are still around residents' settlements," Saidi, the acting head of the Bener Meriah regency education office, told the local outlet Prohaba on Monday. "For now, school activities are still being carried out online, and we will keep evaluating this condition."

From 11 schools to 13

The closures began with 11 schools in six villages of Bener Meriah regency, The Straits Times reported, and were to last until it was safe for students and teachers to return. Most were elementary schools in Pintu Rime Gayo district, Saidi told Tribun Gayo on Nov. 5.

By Saturday, 13 schools had stopped in-person classes, including two religious schools, Pos Aceh reported. Saidi said the affected area had been placed under a 14-day "learning emergency" that would be reviewed as conditions changed, according to Pos Aceh.

A regency information official called it a decision about the safety of students and teachers. "The safety of our children is the top priority," the official said, according to Tribun Gayo. The regency government urged parents to keep children away from areas the elephants pass through.

Driving the herd back

A joint team from Aceh's conservation agency, known as BKSDA, the conservation group WWF and a wild-elephant patrol team drove four elephants toward an area known as KM 41 on Sunday, but heavy rain and rough terrain slowed the work, Prohaba reported.

The Straits Times reported that at least four wild elephants had been seen near a village since October. A coordinator for an environmental journalists' forum told Pos Aceh the conflict between people and elephants in the area recurs every year. The IUCN lists the Sumatran elephant as critically endangered, The Straits Times noted.

"It's a great pity if this continues, because children can't go to school," said Yulham Eon of the Aceh advocacy team of Jaringan Gajah Nusantara, an elephant conservation network, after visiting the quiet schools on Saturday, according to Pos Aceh.