Once the revolution concluded following the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference of 1949, Soeman was recalled to Pekanbaru and made the head of the regional branch of the Department of Education and Culture. His main task was reestablishing and reinvigorating the education system in Riau following three years of the Japanese occupation and four years of revolution. Desks had been used for firewood, school buildings had been razed to prevent enemy forces from using them, and much of the population had been unable to attend regular classes. Furthermore, the department did not have sufficient funding to support reconstruction. Over the next three years Soeman led communal work projects dedicated to restoring Riau's education facilities, relying on voluntary contributions from the populace.