PHNOM PENH, 24 November 2011 (IRIN) - Schools damaged in Cambodia's worst monsoons in more than a decade may take up to a year to recover after flooding delayed the start of school for thousands of students nationwide, say aid workers and officials.
As of late October, 323 schools out of 1,400 damaged ones were closed; some have since reopened. Though flood waters have receded, how well those schools are functioning and how many remain closed is still unknown, as the government continues its damage assessments in a dozen flood-hit provinces.
At least 77 schools are beyond repair, while students and teachers were still pumping water out of dozens more, said the director of the education ministry's construction department on 21 November, Song Yen.
Teachers Without Borders on 03 Jun 12Considering the vulnerability of children and the role schools can play in case of any natural or human induced disaster, the speakers of a seminar have stressed for creating disaster-resilient school communities that are better trained and equipped for dealing with any such emergency situation. They demanded the government to declare May 16 as National School Safety Day and define standard operating procedures (SOPs) for schools which could be followed in case of any disaster. They said that these SOPs should be mounted on school walls and children and teachers be trained to strictly follow them.
