Nghệ An: New school year delayed due to Bebinca

NGHỆ AN — Kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools in mountainous areas of the central province of Nghệ An were unable to open for the new school year after devastation caused by Typhoon Bebinca, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Most of the affected schools were located in mountainous districts of Kỳ Sơn, Tương Dương and Con Cuông.

According to recent reports, as of Monday, the secondary boarding school for ethnic minorities in Con Cuông District is still under a metre of water.

Primary schools in Bồng Khê Ward and Mậu Đức Commune are also heavily flooded. Equipment including desks, chairs and stationery has sustained severe water damage, making it impossible for the schools to open.

According to Lê Thanh An, head of the Education and Training Department of Con Cuông District, the authorities are trying their best to clean up and repair or replace damaged items for the upcoming school year.

Kỳ Sơn District was hit hardest by the typhoon, with dozens of schools in Mường Ải and Mường Típ communes heavily damaged and still under water, including a primary school and a kindergarten in Mường Xén Town. Teachers’ homes were destroyed, while classrooms and teaching materials were swept away. The damage is estimated at VNĐ3.5 billion (US$150,000).

Nguyễn Hồng Hoa, head of the Education and Training Department of Kỳ Sơn District, reported that as of Monday, two thirds of the schools in the district were open for the new school year. However, students of many schools were still unable to attend because of continuing recovery efforts or lack of teaching materials.

According to the schedule, secondary schools will open on August 27, while kindergartens and primary schools will start on September 5.

The death toll caused by floods following typhoon Bebinca, the fourth storm that hit Việt Nam this year, had increased to 10 as of Saturday, according to the Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control. — VNS