Sushma Sunar of Bageshwori VDC-7 in Nuwakot district has been staying with her relatives in a temporary hut made for last year’s earthquake victims at Bidur-9, to prepare for the upcoming school leaving certificate (SLC) exams. 

Sunar is a 10th grader at Binayak Secondary School in Bageshwori. After the school building was destroyed in the earthquake, classes were halted for a long time. This hit the 10th grader students like Sunar who will appear in this year’s SLC test. 

“Our school was closed for a long time after the earthquake. Now we are facing difficulties preparing for the SLC test in this terrible condition,” said Sushma inside a hut made primarily out of corrugated iron sheets..

Another SLC candidate Sunita Thapa said the heat inside the makeshift hut that she and her family have been living in after the earthquake is unbearable.

“It’s stifling inside during the day. I get drowsy every time I try to study,” said Sunita.

Milan BK of Aagutar in Bidur-9, who is also preparing for the SLC exams, has a similar ordeal to share.

“Living condition is already poor inside these huts. It’s difficult to concentrate,” he said.

According to the District Education Office (DEO), there are 6,317 SLC candidates in Nuwakot this year. Many of them were affected by the last year’s earthquake and living in temporary shelters.

Amar Rai, a quake survivor from Suryamati Chaukhada, said the children do not get proper study environment when their schools and homes are destroyed.

 “We lived in temporary huts throughout the year. The schools that lost their buildings in the earthquake taught the children in temporary classrooms. It has been a very difficult year for schools and their students,” said Amar.