MEPPADI: With the closure of relief camps, many schools, that were hitherto accommodating disaster victims will get back to their old ways from Tuesday. The official entry ceremony for students, attended by ministers, is scheduled for September 2.
Meppadi Govt. Higher Secondary School, St. Joseph Girls Higher Secondary School and the partially destroyed Mundakkai Govt LP School and Vellarmala Govt Higher Secondary will start functioning from Tuesday.
Vellarmala School (600 children) will function in Meppadi School while Mundakkai LP School (44 children) will start functioning from Panchayat Hall. More than 50 students from both schools went missing in the tragedy. Vellarmala School will function in Meppadi School till the rehabilitation is completed. The school will soon be shifted to the resettlement village. The new building will retain the name ‘Vellarmala School’.
Schools and premises were cleaned as part of the reopening. Children will be provided with new textbooks while necessary furniture has already reached the site. Programs related to surviving the disaster will be part of the first-day session. More focus will be placed on keeping children happy on their return to school after witnessing the country’s worst-ever landslide tragedy.
Two buses will run free service from Chooralmala to schools. KSRTC and private buses from different parts of the district will also work free for the schools.