The construction of temporary classrooms began yesterday in hard-hit Nantou County and Taichung County as most schools damaged in the Sept. 21 earthquake prepare to reopen this week.
Officials from Nantou County's Bureau of Education said that 72 elementary and junior high schools in the county will reopen tomorrow, but 115 others will remain closed until either temporary classrooms are finished or safety inspections at damaged schools are completed.
The 72 schools include 43 that suffered little or no damage and 23 others that have safe classrooms that can be used, according to Lu Hsin-chu (
As some of the schools are being used as temporary shelters for residents who became homeless in the earthquake, teaching in the field will be emphasized after the schools reopen, Lu said.
Lu said the bureau asked schools to prepare proposals on how the courses could best be structured.
"The teaching will be lively and versatile," Lu said.
Teachers will reinforce earthquake drills and provide psychological counseling for students who remain traumatized after the 921 earthquake, he said.
The 1,033 temporary classrooms needed in Nantou are expected to be finished in 20 days. Each classroom is designed to accommodate between 40 and 50 students.
The bureau's statistics show that 1,192 students have applied to go to schools in other localities before their own schools restart.
Lu said those schools unable to complete curricula by the end of the semester, can hold supplementary classes during the winter vacation or at other appropriate times.
The 60 elementary and junior high schools that remained closed in Taichung County last week are scheduled to reopen tomorrow, except for three that are severely damaged, said Chung Ai-hua (
The county has requested the construction of 610 temporary classrooms. Taichung County's Kuangfu Junior High School, which suffered major damage in the earthquake, held a ground-breaking ceremony for the building of its temporary facilities yesterday. All the school's facilities were destroyed and its sports field, located directly on a fault line, split and rose as high as two meters on one side.
School principal Shih Su-chin (施素琴) said students will attend classes under tents when the school reopens tomorrow, while 30 temporary classrooms are being built on a neighboring land. Puli's National Chi-Nan University (NCNU), which was almost completely destroyed during the quake, will reopen classes on Oct. 13 -- sharing classrooms with Taipei's National Taiwan University.
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission is helping with the relocation of overseas Chinese students who must move to Taipei to complete their studies. Other students face many challenges in Taipei, including arranging new classes and accommodation.
The majority of classes will be given at night or during the weekend. Currently, NCNU has 2,200 students as well as 300 faculty members and staff. The university's authorities are planning to stop recruiting future students while the campus remains in an unusable state.
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