In the aftermath of the flood, Urau had to languish in makeshift camps with his parents for six months. He failed to attend his classes. He later joined his school. But the trauma of losing home and languishing in dingy camps seems to have caused depression to Urau. Doomed and dejected, he is grappling to hone his past skills. [break]
The flood, which wreaked havoc in half a dozen of villages in Sunsari in August 2008, has rendered hundreds of students of a local school mentally disturbed. The National Lower Secondary School (NLSS) of Pashchim Kushaha-9 was shut down for months after the flood. Students had to study on their own then.
According to Hari Prasad Raut, headmaster of NLSS, now almost all students suffer from various sorts of mental illnesses. “We vigorously interacted to conclude the reason behind students´ common problems,” Raut said. “Months of discussions -- among teachers, students and parents -- concluded that it is the aftereffects of the Koshi flood.”
Raut says students still fear that the flood may recur. Besides, the entire village has been covered with dusty sands fetched by the flood like in some desert, causing discomfort for inhabitation. It is believed that the mess in almost all households and the paranoia about another disastrous flood may have led to widespread mental problems.
In an attempt to help students cope with their problems, the NLSS administration has taken them on a tour. Local villagers on Sunday saw off a team of 43 students by anointing them with vermilion. They will be touring to Chitwan, Pokhara and Janakpur.
Classes of 15 community schools and 11 Madrasas had been affected by the flood. Over 20,000 students had to remain off the schools for months after the disaster.
Four months back, the District Education Office of Sunsari had announced to introduce a program with the objective of helping flood-hit students catch up with their lessons. The office, however, has done nothing in this regard.
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