Studies hit after earthquake

Hetauda, August 31

Teaching learning activities have been badly affected after last year’s devastating earthquake destroyed the school building of Epapanchkanya High School in the remote Epapanchkanya VDC of Makawanpur.

The quake had completely destroyed the 13-room school building.

Ram Kumar Dani, a local social worker, said the school was being run from temporary huts. “However, teaching-learning activities have been adversely affected due to rainwater and storms during monsoon,” he added. Dani said the concerned authority had paid no attention to the only school in the VDC.

Teachers, students and locals have been disappointed due to the school’s feeble physical infrastructure.

Earlier, Rado Nepal, an NGO, had offered to construct a temporary infrastructure with five rooms for the school.

Ram Kishwor Kushwaha, teacher at the school, said students were compelled to study in uncomfortable classrooms due to improper management of temporary infrastructure.

“We have no option but to merge various grades into one class and this measure is tedious as well as monotonous for students and teachers alike,” he added. He said the school was compelled to shut and announce a holiday if it rained. “Some students have fallen sick during classes due to excessive heat and overcrowding,” he informed.

The school was established in 1961. It does not have its own land. The land that the school is currently using is registered in the name of District Agriculture Development Bank.

Meanwhile, the school is also reeling under acute shortage of drinking water.

Kushwaha further added that as many as 325 students as well as the teachers were deprived of drinking water after the local water sources went dry.