National
Kids deprived of education after losing school to landslide
Thirteen children at Tapethok VDC-8 in Taplejung have been out of school after their school building was destroyed by a landslide more than four months ago.Ananda Gautam
Thirteen children at Tapethok VDC-8 in Taplejung have been out of school after their school building was destroyed by a landslide more than four months ago.
The building of Purba Primary School was destroyed in the landslide of June 15 and there has been no effort whatsoever to rebuild it, said Gyambu Sherpa, a local.
The school was being
run with the support of Kanchanjunga Conservation Area Management Council.
Khagendra Phembu of the council said there is no safe and available site in the village to build a new school building.
The District Education Office (DEO) has not taken any initiative to send the children of Tapethok-8 to school till date.
Bhim Prasad Paudel, the DEO resource person, said he has already apprised the education officer of the
situation.
Noting that children
have been deprived of
education for the last
four months, Phembu said the DEO should already have come up with a
plan if it was at all
concerned about the
situation.
The next nearest school for the children, who are below 11 years of age, is a three hours walk from Tapethok in the village
of Lelep.
But getting to Lelep is not easy as the suspension bridge, over the Ghunsa river, that linked the two villages has also been downed by a landslide.
The concerned parents fear their children may not get to go to school at all.