Seven months after the devastating earthquake, the government has finally approved the design for school buildings opening the door for the reconstruction of collapsed structures.

The Department of Education (DoE) last week approved the design for earthquake resilient structures forwarded by various domestic and international donors. They had applied at the DoE for approval to reconstruct 466 public schools in 14 worst affected districts in the country. The donor agencies have pledged Rs 1.7 billion for the reconstruction of the quake-resilient buildings which will be a maximum three-story tall.

The DoE also has started preparations for the construction of 700 schools in the districts and the government has released Rs 3 billion for the purpose. According to the Ministry of Education, 16,475 classrooms in 6,902 public schools were destroyed by the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks. In addition, 7,266 classrooms suffered major cracks, with another 12,613 suffering minor damages. Similarly, 1,436 toilets were destroyed in the disasters.

Over a million students in 14 districts have been affected due to the tremors. The government has announced to complete reconstruction of all the school buildings within two years. But the delay in establishing Reconstruction Authority has cast doubt over meeting the deadline.