Unsafe schools

It is criminal to force students of Karnali province to study in cracked buildings.

The recent news of students in Karnali returning to the quake-damaged schools a year after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Jajarkot and Rukum West districts is appalling. After the temporary structures they were putting up in were worn down by wind and rain, students in schools like Janapriya Basic School and Shankar Bhawan Secondary School in Rukum West and Jajarkot district, respectively, have been compelled to sit in classrooms with gaping cracks. Instead of being a secure learning space, classrooms in quake-damaged schools have turned into places where students are in perpetual fear for their safety. Last week, the Karnali province government finally initiated the reconstruction of damaged buildings of community schools and health institutions. The decision has already come too late. The students’ lives cannot be endangered while waiting for the rebuilding to be completed.