Kavre, October 3

Rebuilding of Asian Development Bank (ADB)-assisted school projects has begun, as Minister for Education Dhani Ram Poudel and ADB Country Director to Nepal Kenichi Yokoyama jointly laid the foundation stone of Shree Kali Devi Primary School of Mahadevsthan-7 of Kavre district today.

The school, which is going to be rebuild in assistance of ADB, will be build adopting earthquake-resilient technology and include various facilities like disabled-friendly toilets, proper drainage system, drinking water facility, solar backups for computers in addition to the electricity grid connectivity. A

library, computer room, canteen, playground will be the major features of the school. This school is going to be built at a total cost of Rs 27.2 million.

The school project is expected to be completed within 15 months from today.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony, Minister Poudel said, “The reconstruction of schools will provide an enabling environment in which students will be able to learn better with no fear in the back of their minds.”

He recalled the pledge of the government to rebuild all the schools by 2018, as this is directly linked with the future of the students and the country.

Also speaking at the programme, ADB’s Yokoyama expressed hope that the school will be completed before the monsoon season on next year. He said that the schools being built in assistance of the ADB followed the concept of ‘Build Back Better’.

ADB will increase the assistance amount for the schools reconstruction once the rebuilding process gathers momentum.

“We are prepared to provide more funds for school reconstruction once the implementation gains momentum at the field level,” Yokoyama stated.

ADB, under the Earthquake Emergency Assistance Project (EEAP), had announced it would support reconstruction of 700 schools with total estimated cost of $86.5 million immediately after the devastating earthquake of last year.

However, the construction of schools started after 17 months due to procedural delays from the government and the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and classes are being conducted from temporary shelters in 9,300 schools that were damaged by the quake.

ADB has already initiated the survey and designing of 62 schools in Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga, Sindhupalchok and Kathmandu and bidding documents of 34 schools are ready, according to ADB. ADB has been working in eight districts — Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Kavre, Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Makawanpur, Dolakha and Okhaldhunga — to rebuild the schools ravaged in the earthquake. ADB has aimed to rebuild all the damaged schools in its working districts within three years.