Earthquake and schools
UML will build the nation: General Secretary Pokhrel
In the last few years there has been a concerted effort to train school students in Kathmandu Valley on 'drop-cover-hold', the three-piece standard advice in the event of an earthquake. But no amount of earthquake training would have prepared the young students for the 7.6-magnitude monster on April 25. Thankfully, it was a Saturday and they were safely in their homes. Otherwise, if they were at school, their panicky reaction could have led to dangerous stampedes. Since very few of our schools, either private or public, had been retrofitted against major earthquakes, most of them have, after recent tremors, developed deep fissures. Many are now on the verge of collapse. There should thus be no rush to get back into these vulnerable buildings. The government has, for its part, already deputed engineers to all of the 14 most-affected districts to inspect school buildings. But their work has been badly hampered by repeated aftershocks: a building cleared as safe today might be deemed vulnerable after an earthquake tomorrow.
This is the reason the government is planning to construct Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) inside the premises of every affected school. Students will be taught in TLCs until the danger from earthquakes abates and until respective school buildings are given green (safe) stickers by inspectors. TLC is a wonderful idea. Research shows that prolonged absence from school causes significant declines in cognitive and academic skills of students. But it will take time. In the district of Kathmandu alone there are nearly 300 community and around 1,200 private schools. Building inspection in itself is a time-consuming exercise and since children are involved the inspectors must be extra careful. Hurrying this process would be both dangerous and dumb. And yet, even if the buildings are habitable, first, the concerned parents will have to be convinced that their children will be safe away from their caring gaze. Some students and guardians might even need psychological counseling.In the long run, retrofitting school and college buildings should be made mandatory hereon in. It might be a little costly, especially for existing buildings. But after witnessing the recent devastation, any kind of compromise on school infrastructure is out of question. Moreover, a comprehensive earthquake education should be mandatory—starting with school children. Perhaps well-informed children could teach their unthinking fathers and mothers a thing or two about earthquake safety. People have died trying to jump off tall buildings and while rushing down narrow staircases. Fleeing their 'unsafe' homes in Koteshwor, some locals have bizarrely gone to take shelter under under-construction bridges. Still others are sleeping on their front verandas whose pillars have developed worrying cracks, even though they would be safer inside the main building which is not cracked. The level of earthquake awareness among Nepalis, in other words, is still abysmal. As we are painfully finding out, this kind of ignorance costs lives. Therefore, instilling a healthy fear of earthquakes and informing young children on proper safety measures should be at the core of future social science school curriculum.
