India to rebuild 56 schools destroyed in Nepal's 2015 earthquake

The Indian Embassy in Nepal on Monday said it will rebuild 56 higher secondary schools -- replete with furniture and modern sustainable technology -- which were destroyed in the powerful earthquake that hit the country in 2015.

These schools will be rebuilt as part of the Indian government's post-earthquake reconstruction works in Nepal with a grant of around Rs 184 crore (USD 24.4 million), the Indian embassy said in a statement.

Seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Indian embassy and the Nepal Ministry of Education's Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU) to build the 56 higher secondary schools in Gorkha, Nuwakot, Dhading, Dolakha, Kavrepalanchowk, Ramechhap and Sindhupalchok districts.

India's Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee will provide technical expertise in the reconstruction work. The schools will be built following Nepal's earthquake-resilient reconstruction norms. The school infrastructure will consist of academic blocks, classrooms, furniture and sanitation facilities.

"The Government of India remains committed to continue collaborating with the Government of Nepal and its agencies for socio-economic development of Nepal, including post-earthquake reconstruction projects," read the statement.

In April 2015, a devastating earthquake of 7.8 magnitude rocked Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and wounding nearly 22,000 others,

In 2016, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli allotted Nepali Rupees 82,135 crore (USD 6.8 billion) under a five-year plan to complete the reconstruction of all quake-hit academic institutions and health facilities within three years.

Marking five since the disaster in April, the Nepal National Reconstruction Authority said out of the 7,553 schools that needed reconstruction only 5,598 have been completed fully or partially built. About 2,015 (26 per cent) of the quake-damaged schools are yet to be reconstructed, the agency had said.