Kathmandu: Fifty schools in the capital which are prone to collapse by a tremor are set to be rebuilt this fiscal year. This year´s budget has earmarked Rs 65 million for the purpose.

The Department of the Education (DoE) said 20 schools in Kathmandu, 20 in Lalitpur and 10 in Bhaktapur will be reinforced. Each school will get Rs 1.3 million for the purpose.


According to the DoE, around 900 schools including community-run and government-run have to be reinforced. "The government cannot rebuild all the schools at once, so we have this year allocated budget for 50 dilapidated schools of the capital valley," senior engineer at the DoE, Jhapat Sing Bishwakarma, said.

He revealed that the DOE after a survey found that 300 school buildings need to be demolished to minimize the risks.

"Those schools cannot be reinforced," he added. About 400 schools which need reconstruction are government-run. A team formed by DoE comprising members of District Education Office (DEO) will select the schools for reconstruction.

Bishwakarrma said a report prepared by the National Society for Earthquake Technology- Nepal (NSET) said most of the community-run and government-run schools in the capital are prone to collapse by tremor. Fifteen schools in capital are currnetly undergoing reconstruction as the Ministry of Education (MoE) provided budget last year.

The Building Permit and Land Use Division (BPLUD) of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) said most of the schools in the capital are vulnerable. "Private schools are more vulnerable than community-run and the government-run schools," chief of the BPLUD, Uttam Kumar Regmi, said. He said private school operators construct building with profit motive and without following building code.

"The lands used by privately-run schools are mostly being used on lease so they compromise on construction."

Meanwhile, according to our Janakpur correspondent, a hostel of the Yagyawalkya High School, Gyankup has developed cracks after Sunday´s earthquake.

Likewise, more than 40 schools in Panchthar were damaged by the tremor while 43 houses collapsed. Altogether 200 houses in the district were damaged by earthquake.

source:republica, 10 September 2011