The Central Government says it will assume the responsibility of planning and executing school reconstruction projects, relieving local school authorities of the burden. The announcement was made yesterday morning by Premier Vincent Siew at the centennial celebration of the founding of the Taipao Primary School (太保國小) in Chiayi County (嘉義縣), one of the schools damaged by the 921 earthquake.
In the future, school authorities will submit projects to the Public Construction Committee under the Executive Yuan (行政院公共工程委員會). The committee will then plan and carry out the projects under the supervision of a team of experts chosen by the Ministry of Education.
Last month's quake damaged some 800 schools across Taiwan, and Friday's 6.4 quake damaged another 87 schools in Chiayi County, officials reported. Experts estimate that 2,257 primary and middle schools in Taiwan are unprepared for earthquakes.
Rebuilding damaged schools and upgrading existing schools will cost NT$36.7 billion, reported Premier Siew. While not clearly stating the exact source of all of the reconstruction monies, Siew mentioned that, "The majority of funding will come from the government, and the Executive Yuan will fully support the Ministry of Education's efforts." He also stated that private donations may make up a part of the funding.
Siew claimed the widespread damage to schools was due to a chronic lack of funds at the local level. Building standards for colleges and middle schools are fairly high as the Central Government and Provincial Government pay for their construction.
Local authorities, however, face a shortage of funding but have been left responsible for constructing primary schools, leading to lower standards, Siew said.
Siew said that the Central Government will enforce a stricter building code for earthquake-proof construction in schools. He mentioned the example of Japan, where schools are used to shelter quake victims.
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