School devastated after storm and flood

Heavy damage

More than a week after the flood caused by storm Bualoi (storm no. 10), the B Thuan Hoa Primary Boarding School (Vi Xuyen commune, Tuyen Quang ) is still in disarray. Mud stains are still visible on the walls of the classrooms. The students' desks, chairs, school supplies, computers, printers, and blankets were almost completely damaged.

Trường học hoang tàn sau bão lũ- Ảnh 1. — Thuan Hoa B Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities in ruins after storm and flood

Mr. Vu Khac Lan, the school's principal, recalled: From the evening of September 30, when realizing the complicated flood situation, the school decided to send more than 200 boarding students home to avoid the flood. Although prepared to respond, the flood water rose quickly and to an unprecedented high level, with some areas being nearly 4 meters deep, making the response work impossible.

The flood came and caused inundation. When the flood receded, it swept away most of the property and left a large amount of mud and soil in the school grounds. Teachers tried to clean up and collect what could still be used, cleaned and dried it. However, there was almost nothing left that could still be used… The damage to essential items was about 2 billion VND.

"During the cleanup, many teachers burst into tears because of the heavy damage and because they felt sorry for their students who could not return to class," Mr. Lan shared.

Trường học hoang tàn sau bão lũ- Ảnh 2. — Books were scattered in the mud.

Up to now, the school cleaning work has been basically completed but students cannot return to school because all essential supplies are lacking. Not only school supplies, all blankets and belongings of more than 400 boarding students at the main school were also damaged due to water damage. In recent days, many organizations and businesses are supporting books, supplies..., so that the school can soon welcome students back.

Statistics from the Department of Education and Training of Tuyen Quang province show that schools in the province suffered heavy property damage. Many flooded facilities and equipment such as: Hoa Sen Kindergarten, Minh Khai Primary School, Quang Trung Primary School, the provincial boarding school for ethnic minorities in Ha Giang 1 ward and Ha Giang 2 ward... were severely affected, facilities were damaged, trees were broken, schoolyards and classrooms were flooded with mud...

Trường học hoang tàn sau bão lũ- Ảnh 3. — The students' beds and mosquito nets were badly damaged.

The leader of Quang Trung Primary School, Ha Giang 2 Ward, said: Most of the equipment on the first floor was completely damaged, mud was deep in the classrooms and school grounds. In the past few days, the school has been working with the community to clean up, sanitize, and try to welcome students back to school as soon as possible.

According to information from the Department of Education and Training of Tuyen Quang, in the recent flood, 43 schools were affected, 1 school had 1 student drowned at home, 42 schools suffered damage to facilities, total damage of about 10 billion VND; more than 460 schools had to let students stay home. Up to now, there are still some schools with heavy damage that cannot let students return to school.

In Cao Bang, the education sector has not yet recovered from storm No. 10, which caused an estimated damage of nearly 15 billion VND at 14 schools, but is now struggling to bear the consequences of storm No. 11.

With the spirit of cleaning up schools and overcoming consequences, the leader of the Cao Bang Department of Education and Training said that he has requested educational institutions to mobilize cadres, teachers, and employees, coordinate with parents and local forces to urgently clean up inside and outside the school campus, collect garbage, fallen trees, and mud.

Coordinate with local medical facilities to organize cleaning and disinfection of schools and classrooms, ensure a safe environment, prevent epidemics, and ensure teaching and learning conditions are restored as soon as possible.

In addition, schools also counted students who had lost books and school supplies; prioritized support for students from poor and near-poor households and especially disadvantaged areas, ensuring that no student's studies were interrupted.

Trường học hoang tàn sau bão lũ- Ảnh 4. — A kindergarten in Cao Bang is submerged in floodwaters.

When schools can reopen, according to the Cao Bang Department of Education and Training, the requirement is to proactively develop a plan to organize make-up classes and arrange a reasonable timetable to ensure the completion of the educational program and plan.

Hundreds of schools remain isolated.

In Thai Nguyen, hundreds of schools are currently submerged in floodwaters, and online learning is also impossible due to lack of electricity. The top priority now is to ensure the safety of students and teachers while waiting for the water to recede.

According to information from Na Ri Ethnic Boarding School, at the time the school was isolated (October 7), due to the floodwaters rising too quickly, there were still more than 270 students in the school. With great difficulty, by nearly 4 p.m. the same day, the students were moved to a safe place by boats by the authorities.

Because the flooding is still deep, the provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen have not yet been able to estimate the damage to school facilities due to the flood that has not yet receded. The education sector of Thai Nguyen province said that the most serious loss for the sector was the loss of a dedicated and responsible teacher, Ms. Ly Thi Thanh Xuan, Principal of Cam Gia Secondary School. Ms. Xuan was swept away by floodwaters when she went out of her house gate on September 8. Her body has been found, but her family and the school must wait for the flood to recede before they can carry out burial procedures.

Trường học hoang tàn sau bão lũ- Ảnh 5. — Kindergarten 19.5 in Phan Dinh Phung Ward, Thai Nguyen submerged in water

In Bac Ninh, Mr. Le The Tung, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of this province, said that in the past 3 days, the number of schools in the province that had to let students stay home due to floods has gradually decreased.

Currently, there are 85 schools at all levels that cannot welcome students back to school because they are in deeply flooded and isolated areas, concentrated in areas such as Hiep Hoa, Tan Yen, Lang Giang, Yen The...

Previously, due to the impact of storm No. 10, some schools were flooded. The schools had to work very hard to clean up to welcome students back, but now they are flooded even more severely. According to Mr. Tung, the education sector must wait for the water to recede so that it can assess the damage to school facilities and come up with specific plans to fix it.

In Hanoi, by the morning of October 9, most schools had welcomed students back to in-person learning after three consecutive days off. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training said that Phu Do Kindergarten (Tu Liem Ward), the last of 30 schools in Hanoi to be flooded during the recent storm, had completely receded on October 9. The school is urgently cleaning and disinfecting the entire campus.

During this time, to ensure that care and education are not interrupted, the school's children are temporarily transferred to another facility in the area. Some students in residential areas with standing water are supported by the school in flexible learning methods such as online learning or receiving homework to do at home. At the same time, schools have also developed and announced make-up learning plans to ensure the content of the curriculum.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/truong-hoc-hoang-tan-sau-bao-lu-185250411162412517.htm