ADB helps rebuild earthquake damaged schools in Nepal
By Sanjeevi Jayasuriya
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The 2015 Gorkha Nepal earthquake caused tremendous damage and loss. The majority of the damaged buildings were stone/brick masonry structures with no seismic detailing, whereas most of the RC buildings were undamaged. This indicates that adequate structural design is the key to reduce the earthquake risk in Nepal.
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Sanjiwani school is one of the nine model schools reconstructed under the Asian Development Bank Earthquake Emergency Assistance project. Besides 32 new classrooms, the school has a 12-room hostel for out-of-town students. To enhance science education, the school has been provided with ICT and science laboratories equipment. The model school concept is a new initiative under the government’s School Sector Development Program, which aims to improve the quality of education in Nepal.
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“The school was originally made by local people with the funds from selling the rice they produced. When the devastating earthquake happened, around 200 teachers were marking board examination papers. They were all safe. A one month holiday was declared and the past students were called to re-build the structures temporally,” Sanjiwani Model Secondary School Principal Lokendra Dhakal said.
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“A better reconstruction process can strengthen a country’s resilience to natural disasters. Reconstruction offered us an opportunity to put up better building and all the schools reconstructed after the earthquake with ADB support follow better standards, building norms, and amenities,” ADB Country Director for Nepal, Mukhtor Khamudkhanov said.
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