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http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200812/20081226/article_385956.htm
Quake damaged 14,000 schools
Created: 2008-12-26 1:53:37
THE deadly 8.0-magnitude earthquake that jolted Sichuan in May damaged close to 14,000 schools in 159 counties in the province, a senior official said yesterday.
Lu Yongxiang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, revealed the figures during a briefing to the law-making body.
The quake left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.
Lu did not disclose casualty figures for students caught in the devastating earthquake.
Many of the school buildings in the quake-affected areas needed to be rebuilt, Lu said, adding that many schools in the central and the western parts of the country are in poor condition.
He said after the quake, many schools in neighboring Gansu Province were severely damaged, but their rebuilding was not covered in the government's post-quake reconstruction budget.
According to Lu, 2.5 percent of China's primary and middle school buildings were in poor conditions in 2007. More than 90 percent of those "risky" school buildings were located in the country's rural areas. Twenty percent of the primary school buildings and 11 percent of the middle school buildings were at risk in Yunnan Province, he said.
Fire risks, traffic safety and hygiene issues also posed threats to many primary and middle schools in the country due to the lack of safety education, the official said.
Lu urged authorities to add reinforcement measures to all school buildings in the quake-hit areas and to conduct a comprehensive safety check on all primary and middle schools in the rural areas across the country.
Local governments should renovate all school buildings to meet anti-quake criteria "at a proper time," Lu said.
He also urged central and local governments to grant more funds to help middle and primary schools renovate their school buildings and improve safety education among students and teachers.
China stipulated in July that school facilities must observe higher quake-resistant standards than common buildings in the same area.
Lu Yongxiang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, revealed the figures during a briefing to the law-making body.
The quake left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.
Lu did not disclose casualty figures for students caught in the devastating earthquake.
Many of the school buildings in the quake-affected areas needed to be rebuilt, Lu said, adding that many schools in the central and the western parts of the country are in poor condition.
He said after the quake, many schools in neighboring Gansu Province were severely damaged, but their rebuilding was not covered in the government's post-quake reconstruction budget.
According to Lu, 2.5 percent of China's primary and middle school buildings were in poor conditions in 2007. More than 90 percent of those "risky" school buildings were located in the country's rural areas. Twenty percent of the primary school buildings and 11 percent of the middle school buildings were at risk in Yunnan Province, he said.
Fire risks, traffic safety and hygiene issues also posed threats to many primary and middle schools in the country due to the lack of safety education, the official said.
Lu urged authorities to add reinforcement measures to all school buildings in the quake-hit areas and to conduct a comprehensive safety check on all primary and middle schools in the rural areas across the country.
Local governments should renovate all school buildings to meet anti-quake criteria "at a proper time," Lu said.
He also urged central and local governments to grant more funds to help middle and primary schools renovate their school buildings and improve safety education among students and teachers.
China stipulated in July that school facilities must observe higher quake-resistant standards than common buildings in the same area.
Xinhua
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