National
Quake-ravaged schools finally getting rebuilt
Reconstruction of earthquake-ravaged schools is finally gathering momentum in Makwanpur district.Pratap Bista
Reconstruction of earthquake-ravaged schools is finally gathering momentum in Makwanpur district.
More than two years after the destructive Gorkha Earthquake, authorities here have started the reconstruction of 75 community school buildings.
District Education Officer Birendra Jung Thapa said 68 school buildings were under construction under District Level Project Implementation Unit (DLPIU) of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) while seven others were being constructed with the help of NRA’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU).
According to the District Education Office, the earthquake of April 25, 2015, and its aftershocks caused damage and destruction to 462 of the 516 community schools in the district. The buildings of 125 community schools were completely destroyed.
The reconstruction of the school buildings under the DLPIU began following the agreement reached with the concerned schools in March and April of this year.
Harichandra Sapkota, the section officer at the DLPIU, said that the construction of 46 school buildings will be completed by the end of the current fiscal year and 22 others will be completed in the next fiscal year.
The DLPIU said that 20 per cent of the total budget for school reconstruction was already provided to the schools as the first instalment.
Sapkota said the project will release the remaining budget based on construction progress.
The NRA had allocated Rs 188.2 million for school reconstruction in Makwanpur.
Besides the government authorities, some non-governmental organisations are also supporting school building reconstruction in the district.