270 storm-damaged schools in Arakan State still being repaired, education office says

By Admin 29 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 July 2023, Sittwe

Among the public schools damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State, 270 are still being repaired, according to figures compiled by the Arakan State education director’s office.

Out of 1,538 public schools damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Mocha across 10 townships, 1,267 schools have been repaired so far and one school cannot be repaired, said U Ba Htwee Sein, director of the Arakan State education office.

“Two-hundred-and-seventy schools are being repaired and a post-primary school in Buthidaung Township cannot be repaired due to security reasons,” U Ba Htwee Sein added.

Among the schools damaged by Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall over Arakan State on May 14, 144 temporary replacement classrooms are being used as a replacement for completely destroyed ones.

The Arakan State military council announced on July 28 that progress in the repair of schools remains slow due to transportation difficulties in remote areas.

“One-hundred-and-forty-four makeshift schools have been set up for the children. Damaged schools in some urban areas and villages are still being repaired, so there are still students studying in their buildings, but the pace of teaching has not slowed down,” the Arakan State military council said.

“The school buildings damaged by the storm have not yet been repaired, and the children are being taught comfortably in the old school building,” said U Sein Win Maung, headmaster of a post-primary school in Lanpaikkhwin Village, Kyauktaw Township.

“As the school building was damaged by the storm, more than 50 children are learning comfortably in an old school building that was built jointly by a foreign organisation and the villagers. The damaged school building has not yet been rebuilt. We have already submitted a plan to repair the village school to the township education officer’s office,” he explained.

The main building at the post-primary school in Lanpaikkhwin Village was completely destroyed by the storm and has not been repaired yet.

“The roof of the post-primary school in Rathedaung Township’s Cheinkhali Village was damaged by the cyclonic storm, and the children are currently studying under a tarpaulin shelter,” said U Tun Tin Soe, the administrator of the village.

“The roof of the school was damaged, and the children are currently studying under tarpaulins, so they are not comfortable when it rains, and there are leaks. The junta is unable to repair the damaged school yet,” he added.

There are also schools where students have been divided into two groups to attend class because repair works on their damaged buildings have not yet been completed.

As of July 28, there were 569,933 students enrolled in Arakan State, according to the State Education Officer’s office.