The massive earthquake of April 25 prompted an exodus from the capital city to districts. People in huge numbers left Kathmandu to join their families back home. They included students.

One month after the devastating quake, students of the University Campus, Kirtipur, have now started to return to resume their studies.

Tribhuvan University, the biggest and oldest campus of the country, is set to resume regular class from June 5.

Mahesh Guragain, an MSc second semester student at the Central Department of Physics, who lost his three-storey mud house to the quake in Gorkha Bazaar, arrived in the capital yesterday after rebuilding a temporary shelter. “Though my family lost all what we had, I returned to Kathmandu to resume my studies. Lost property can be made again, I cannot get back lost years. I must complete my studies,” he said.

Madhusudan Bhattarai, an MA second year student at the Central Department of English, who was asked to vacate his rented room by his house owner after the quake, has also returned to the capital from his hometown Butwal.

“The varsity has decided to resume classes from June 5, so I am back,” said Bhattarai, who arrived today.

Ashmina Jha, an MBS second semester student at the Central Department of Management, came back to Kathmandu from Janakpur on Monday. “The room I had rented in Panga has developed deep cracks. I need find another room.”

Finding new rooms is going to be another challenge for students who have to struggle to focus on studies after the disaster.

There are more than 10,000 students enrolled in the campus for Master’s degree for 2014-2015 academic session. They come from all 75 districts. Many of them have either lost their houses back home or the rooms they had rented in Kathmandu, as they were told to vacate them. What none of them has lost though is hope and fighting spirit.

There are four faculties — Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Management, and Science and Technology — and 31 departments in the University Campus.

Tribhuwan University had issued a notice on April 26, stating that the varsity will remain closed till May 3 as it had suffered damaged in the University Campus and its constituent campuses.

TU itself has suffered damage in its various buildings, particularly the Central Office, Central Library, Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology. According a preliminary estimate, the loss is to the tune of Rs 2 billion.

TU then again on May 2 said the University Campus and its constituent campuses would remain closed till June 4.

Officials have said the University Campus and TU’s constituent campuses will start regular classes from June 5 so that the academic calendar could be maintained.

“Despite huge loss and damage in buildings, we are determined to provide education to students. We are trying our best to even relocate the students of certain departments and will run classes in three shifts,” said TU Vice Chancellor Hira Bahadur Maharjan. “We are making efforts to build pre-fabricated huts to resume classes to ensure that the academic calendar does not get hampered.'

source: the himalayan times,28 may 2015