The government has announced that it will complete the reconstruction of all the earthquake-ravaged school buildings within three years.

The reconstruction project, which will begin in three months, will give school and hospital buildings top priority, said Minister for Education Giriraj Mani Pokharel in an interaction organised by Education Journalists’ Network in Kathmandu on Monday.

The ministry has planned a phase-wise reconstruction of school buildings after evaluating the number of students and intensity of the devastation.

Schools with many students and those which have lost all the rooms will be prioritised in the first phase.

Noting that the country has entered into reconstruction phase with the formation of the National Reconstruction Authority, Minister Pokharel said that the government was serious about the crisis the education sector is facing in the wake of the disaster.

Hari Lamsal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, said that the designs for school buildings have almost been finalised.

Records at the ministry show that more than  17,000 classrooms of around 8,000 public schools in 31

districts were  destroyed in the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks; around 7,500 classrooms were left with huge cracks on their

walls and ceiling; and over 12,000 classrooms underwent minor damage.

Various donor agencies have applied to reconstruct 466 public schools in 14 districts. They have pledged Rs1.7 billion to build quake-resilient buildings. 

According to the government assessment, there is no need to reconstruct all the schools, as many of them do not have adequate number

of students.

Fast facts

• Over 17,000 classrooms of around 8,000 public schools in 31 districts were destroyed in the April 25 earthquake and aftershocks
• Around 7,500 classrooms were left with huge cracks on their walls and ceiling
• Over 12,000 classrooms faced minor damage
• Various donor agencies have applied for reconstruction of 466 public schools in 14 worst affected districts