Schools reopen in Nepal after quake, but fear persists

Schools in Kathmandu valley and other affected districts in Nepal -- devastated by the April 25 temblor -- reopened on Sunday after a five-week break -- but to sparse attendance. Only 25 percent of scholars attended, Nepal's education ministry said.

A government official attributed the low attendance figure to fears about the safety of school buildings -- bearing cracks in the wake of last month's earthquake and its aftershocks. Besides, school buildings and associated structures in a lot of places have collapsed shaken by the 7.9 Richter tremor and its aftermath.

Many schools ran classes in makeshift structures in view of the cracked buildings, a school official in Kathmandu said.

Thousands of parents, too, still remained undecided whether to send their wards to schools being concerned about their safety in the schools.

Of Nepal's 37 quake-affected districts, the most severely hit Gorkha and Sindhupalchok districts also saw a moderate turnout of students, the Nepal education ministry said.

The authorities had asked the schools to mandatorily counsel the students who continue to suffer the trauma of last month's quake and its equally severe aftershocks.

On Sunday, a number of schools conducted extra-curricular activities like dancing, yoga and other amusement-related programmes.

Though many schools reopened on Sunday, curricular activities in some were carried out in makeshift structures as the original buildings had suffered intensive damage in the quake, the ministry stated.

Some schools resumed their activities in temporary shelters as an alternative after technical assessment of the partially-damaged structures.

Some of the private boarding schools ran classes in two shifts due to limited number of makeshift rooms available.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)