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 school infrastructure has been repaired/rebuilt. Until then, thousands of temporary learning centers are being constructed, in anticipation of re-starting of classes, which may not be until after May 29th. However, in rural areas, teachers may no longer be present. This is a blow in a country where primary school attendance has risen from 64% to 90% in the past 25 years. Officials hope that opening learning centers will help combat potential drop-out.

NSET plans to continue its work improving the safety of school buildings. The retrofits cost approximately $30/student. NSET has only been able to retrofit less than 400 buildings, but their performance in the earthquake seems promising.
(http://www.unisdr.org/archive/44297)
see other links below

 

Figure 1. School in Nuwakot (Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.975604699127206.1073742018.130929626928055&type=1).	Figure 2. Damage to newly constructed school in Nuwakot (Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.975604699127206.1073742018.130929626928055&type=1).

 http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150512/news/150519651/

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.975604699127206.1073742018.130929626928055&type=1

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/08/quake-nepal-reconstruction-idINL4N0XZ7IM20150508

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/world/asia/nepal-earthquake-shatters-school-system.html?emc=eta1

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/nepal_81872.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-32624110edu

 

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.