Damage to schools threatens education system
The earthquakes in Nepal have caused server damage to educational infrastructure in Nepal. Wall collapse has been a common failure in smaller schools, and severe damage has even been reported in some newer construction. Even buildings at Kathmandu University have been found structurally unsound. It is expected to take at least two to three years before the […]
Schools Begin to Reopen
Figure 1. Courtesy BBC. According to the BBC, schools have begun to reopen in Nepal. Many are using rudimentary and temporary construction, such as bamboo and tarpaulins, but it’s an important step for the recovery of the country. Some estimates show 8,000 schools were closed in the immediate aftermath of the quake. Source From […]
Mandated school assessments and issues with temp classrooms
Links to Media Resources The Ministry of Education has stressed the need for code-based structural safety assessments of schools buildings, concerned that some schools have re-started classes without the proper checks.http://www.myrepublica.com/society/item/22195-moe-orders-safety-assessment-of-school-buildings.html For those schools that have been deemed unsafe, temporary classrooms have been setup, however, these classrooms are especially vulnerable to monsoon rain.http://www.myrepublica.com/society/item/22188-danger-looms-as-classes-resume-in-quake-damaged-schools.html […]
Performance of Earthbag Schools
Schools constructed with earthbag technology have been reported to have good performance in the Nepal earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The construction techniques are well detailed here: http://earthbagbuilding.com/projects/nepalschool.htm Bags filled with excavated soil are layered on top of a stone and cement foundation. A concrete ring beam is cast at the top and anchored into the earthbag wall […]
Schools operating in red tagged buildings
Figure 1. From Republica. Curated topics from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake to help inform reconnaissance activities, identify impacted regions, and help document the timeline of earthquake response/recovery. Information on school buildings, especially those retrofitted or involved in mitigation programs pre-quake, from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake.
“Earthquake-proof” Temporary Schools Being Erected
Prefab schools built of UVPC are being installed. http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/3166193/quake-proof-school-planned-as-monsoon-closes-on-nepal/?cs=229 Curated topics from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake to help inform reconnaissance activities, identify impacted regions, and help document the timeline of earthquake response/recovery. Information on school buildings, especially those retrofitted or involved in mitigation programs pre-quake, from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake.
Some schools attempting to charge parents for quake repairs
Several schools have been caught and reprimanded for attempting to get money from parents for repairing quake-damaged schools. Some notes on this article: 100 Nepali rupees = 1 US dollar; Nepal uses its own calendar with different months than the Gregorian calendar (Baisakh = mid-April-mid-May, Jeth = mid-May-mid-June). http://www.myrepublica.com/society/item/23230-schools-cornering-parents-for-quake-repair-funds.html Curated topics from the […]
Professor’s low-cost school retrofit appears to have worked
A structural engineering professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological Institute has been implementing a low-cost retrofit for schools in SE Asia. “In Nepal, for instance, six school buildings which had their beam and column structures wrapped with low-cost materials like wire mesh and glass fibre withstood April’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake. “Student Laxmi Thapa, 17, who studies at […]
Non-profit’s school buildings fare well in EQ
The Room to Read-constructed building (right) survived both quakes unharmed, while the adjacent structure (left) was completely destroyed by the shaking. A San Francisco-based non-profit that builds schools and libraries in developing countries reports that its buildings fared well in the earthquake. “Of the 399 schools we assessed post-earthquake, just 7% of the classrooms Room […]
Documentary on Building Back Safer Schools
Since 2012, Anne Sanquini, a PhD candidate of Geological Sciences at Stanford University has led a study of seismic- resistant schools and public buildings suggested by the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) and engineers from the Department of Education with the help of Sundar Thapaliya, an MPH graduate from California State University. In 2014, Sanquini […]