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Schools
in buffer-zone to be relocated eight kms away Of a total of 182 schools, the Education Ministry is taking steps to relocate 98. "When relocating schools the distance from the school and the residence of the child will be taken into account. For primary schools a distance of two kilometres, for secondary schools a distance of four kilometres and a distance of eight kilometres for advanced level schools is under consideration", the ministry's national coordinator for 'Education for All' M. Sivagnanam said. He said some of the partially damaged schools located within the 100-metre buffer zone would be also relocated. The Education Ministry has estimated the rebuilding of the damaged schools to cost a massive ten billion rupees. Of this sum some six billion rupees have been allocated for relocation. According to Education Ministry reports, the buildings ear-marked for relocation include 28 schools in Ampara District, 16 schools in Galle district, 11 schools in Batticaloa district, 10 schools in the Trincomalee and Jaffna districts, eight schools in the Matara District, seven schools in the Kalutara District, three schools in the Mullaitivu and Hambantota districts and two schools in Negombo. Most of the schools ear-marked for relocation are secondary and primary schools. "When considering relocation, our first choice is to look for state land. This will enable us to reduce the cost and it'll be a speedy process. In some areas, we have a problem of identifying state land, as most of the state lands are marshy and are unsuitable for building construction", Mr. Sivagnanam said. He said if the education authorities were unable to find state land, the Ministry would seek donations from private landowners. "In some cases, temples and churches have come forward to grant plots of land within their premises to build some schools", Mr. Sivagnanam he said. "So far we have identified land for some 75% of the schools that are going to be relocated. The donors have already prepared the plans for the rebuilding of the schools and we're in the process of discussing it with the community and relevant authorities to get their approval before beginning the rebuilding programme," Mr. Sivagnanam said adding, "We have given a period of 12 months for the donors to build the schools. This period will include the period from the application for approval and the completion of the construction. Until such time land for relocation is approved, the donors will continue with the rebuilding work of schools for which approval has been received". The Education Ministry's relocation plans include some of the well-known schools like St. Servatius College in the Matara district with a student population of 2,202 to be relocated at a cost of 151 million rupees, St. Mary's Convent in Matara with 2, 050 students to be relocated at a cost of 147 million rupees. Kalutara district's Sri Sumangala Boys College in Panadura with a student population of 3,223 students would be relocated at a cost of 181 million rupees. Ampara district's Maruthamunai Shums Central College in Kalmunai with 1, 542 students is to be relocated at a cost of 133 million rupees and Newstead Girls College in Negombo is to be relocated at a cost of 167 million rupees. However, Mr. Sivagnanam added that the tsunami-affected schools were functioning in temporary buildings while some of the affected schools have been merged with other schools situated close by. To avoid overcrowding, these merged schools conduct double sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening. More
children returning to school, says UNICEF He said the return to school was beneficial for most children as it provided them with stability, structure and a sense of normality. "For many children, education has been a major factor in helping them recover from the emotional impact of the tsunami by getting them back together with friends and letting them feel that life is returning to normal. UNICEF is helping to build temporary shelters for children whose schools were being used to house IDPs, so that the children will not miss out on the learning process while their schools are being used to shelter those people who lost their homes", Mr. Keele said. "Once adequate shelter is found for these IDPs, then UNICEF will help clean the schools and prepare them for the children's return", he said Indonesia
has second thoughts on its danger zone The final draft of the Government's master-plan called the Blueprint, proposes the construction of a series of escape hills and earthquake-resistant concrete buildings, the planting of mangroves and the use of a tsunami early warning system. Those living nearest the coast should be able to reach an escape hill, which will have a flat top of 1000 square meters, big enough to hold about 1000 people within five minutes, while those further away would have hills they could reach within 10, 15 or 20 minutes, depending on how far they were from the sea. After the December 26 tsunami, the Indonesian government considered banning all constructions within two kilometres of the coast to minimise the risk from future tsunamis, but the idea was abandoned after resistance from the Acehnese, especially fishermen, who said they needed to live along the coast to work and who were already rebuilding their houses on the original locations. Aid agencies with billions of dollars to spend have been waiting for the release of the master plan before deciding where to allocate money on reconstruction projects. Many agencies feared that providing money for the Acehnese to rebuild their homes in the original locations could lead to conflict with the Government if it decided to impose a building-exclusion zone. |
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