Principal who saved 900 children from Nepal flood resumes classes in tents

The key facts

Rajendra Dawadi evacuated 900 students 11 minutes before the flood hit the school on August 26
Classes resumed on September 21 in 20 Unicef tents and at a sports academy, with attendance of 1,621 students
The flood across six districts killed at least 1,455 people, with 5,285 listed as missing

Rescue in 11 minutes

On August 26, Rajendra Dawadi, 47, principal of the government-run Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot district, heard staff shouting during a lesson about a powerful flood in the neighbouring Rasuwa district. He ordered the school bell to be rung, teachers to take students to their classrooms and announce the cancellation of classes, and then to lead the children to higher ground. Dawadi turned back a bus with young children that was entering the grounds and warned a second bus. Older students with motorcycles and bicycles were asked to help with the evacuation. According to him, 11 minutes passed from the first alarm to the water striking; three girls fainted. Two school staff members died. “I am not a real hero,” Dawadi told The National. “My team worked together, it was my duty.”

Classes in tents

On September 21, less than a month after the disaster, classes resumed: 20 tents provided by Unicef and covered areas of the local sports academy, where lessons are held, including near staircases, in two shifts. On the first day, according to the principal, more than 95% of students returned; attendance stands at 1,621. Children sit on the floor and share benches and desks. Tents, books and furniture were provided by Unicef and private foundations. Dawadi estimates the school's reconstruction will take at least two years after land is allocated; the authorities have not yet decided on a new site. The school also needs a library, laboratories and two buses to transport students.

Consequences of the disaster

The flood, caused, according to the publication, by the collapse of glacial ice and rock into a Himalayan river, affected six districts and killed at least 1,455 people, with another 5,285 listed as missing. Of the school's three-storey building, only the roof is visible; the other structures were washed away. One student was orphaned and 12 lost one parent. The old school was the largest government secondary school in the district, with more than 1,600 children studying there.

Life after the disaster

Parents whose children attended private schools are now transferring them to free government schools. “We had tears in our eyes when school started — every parent felt it,” said 46-year-old Sharmila Shrestha, who lost her home and stationery shop. Students are asking for books, computers and laboratory equipment. Fourteen-year-old Saswot Shah, who dreams of becoming a software engineer, noted that there used to be smart boards, computers, mathematics and science laboratories, and now “we are just surviving.” Sixteen-year-old Pradakshina Shrestha, who lost her home and dreams of becoming a doctor, said studying has become harder: learning materials were lost. The school holds psychologist counselling sessions and music lessons. “The children lost everything, but they still want to learn,” said Dawadi.