*Heavy floods triggered by two typhoons swept across large swathes of China this summer.
*There were 275 flood-ravaged schools and kindergartens in Mentougou, Fangshan and Changping districts of Beijing.
*School safety appraisal efforts in Beijing had been completed with assistance from the fire and public security departments.
BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- On the first day of the new semester on Friday, Heishan Primary School started classes in a neighboring middle school in Beijing's Mentougou District, as the former suffered severe damage during the summer flood and has not yet been fully repaired.
A teacher talks with students of a kindergarten affiliated to Jingshi experimental primary school at the Jingshi experimental primary school in Mentougou District of Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2023, as their flood-ravaged kindergarten is under reconstruction. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)
"The distance between the two schools is about 500 meters, so our teachers and students generally feel convenient," said Ren Quanxia, principal of the primary school.
The new classrooms in Jingshi Experimental Middle School are well arranged and equipped with multimedia teaching devices.
Teachers and students of both schools participated in a special theme activity held at the middle school on Friday, discussing "why the flood caused the walls to collapse."
"We gave the special theme on the first day of the new semester. Teachers guided students in the discussion on flood disasters from interdisciplinary perspectives," said Lyu Na, principal of Jingshi.
Students enthusiastically proposed how to build safer walls in post-disaster reconstruction, and the planting of green vegetation to buffer the impact of floods.
Heavy floods triggered by two typhoons swept across large swathes of China this summer, resulting in serious casualties and significant damage to properties, public infrastructure and crops.
According to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, there were 275 flood-ravaged schools and kindergartens in Mentougou, Fangshan and Changping districts of Beijing. Except for nine still in need of reconstruction, all the schools had been disinfected and had school building safety evaluated before the new semester opened on Friday.
Students of the Xiayunling central primary school pose for a photo in front of the renovated campus in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
The commission said school safety appraisal efforts had been completed with assistance from the fire and public security departments. More than 1,000 inspectors were recruited to conduct field investigations during the safety evaluation process.
Liu Yuhui, vice mayor of Beijing, said in late August that flood control and disaster relief efforts in flood-ravaged areas were still in a critical stage, with reconstruction in full swing to ensure schools open the new semester on time.
Mentougou District in western Beijing was among the worst flood-wrecked areas, with about 310,000 people affected by floods, accounting for around 77 percent of the population of the district.
The district's education authority had provided training for primary and middle school teachers before the new semester began, asking and preparing them to help students solve difficulties in study and life in the new school term.
Lu Yanming, deputy director of the district's education commission, said that all 61 primary schools, secondary schools and kindergartens in the district started classes on Friday.
In neighboring Hebei Province, school faculty and staff in Liuchu Township of Raoyang County volunteered to clear mud and debris shovel by shovel on campus after the flood receded in mid-August.
Four schools in the county were flooded. The county government mobilized reconstruction to ensure the schools could open the new semester on time.
Yin Jinglei, the person in charge of the Zhaoliuwu campus of Hengshui Primary School, said the campus had been disinfected under the guidance of epidemic prevention professionals, and that facilities such as damaged balconies, floor and toilets had been repaired.
The school campus serves students from five nearby villages.
"All the hard work has paid off, as the new term opened as scheduled in the fully refurbished campus and the sound of students reciting reverberated again around campus," he said.
Dongcaolu Primary School in Raoyang County was one of the two schools seriously wrecked in the flood. The local education authority has helped divert students to neighboring schools to study.
In this photo taken with a mobile phone, students attend class in an office of Xicaolu Village in Raoyang County, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 1, 2023, as their flood-ravaged school is under reconstruction. (Xinhua)
"My classmates and I were transfered to the Raoyang Town Central School to study for a period of time. Living on a new campus is exciting for us," said Li Shengjia, a sixth-grade student of Dongcaolu Primary School.
The education bureau of Raoyang County carried out investigations on the living conditions of 4,858 students residing in flood detention areas during the summer vacation. The students will be provided with psychological counseling to ensure they can attend classes normally in the new term.
Shulan City in northeast China's Jilin Province was one of the worst hit by heavy rainfall caused by Typhoon Khanun in early August. The new semester started as early as Aug. 20 in the city, when all 55 public primary and secondary schools and kindergartens resumed classes on time, after swift post-disaster reconstruction.
"For those whose homes were affected by the disaster, school is your home," said Liang Liguo, principal of Ping'an Town Central Primary School in Shulan, on the first day of school.
The school served as a resettlement shelter for those affected by floods, accommodating more than 200 people at the peak time.
Gao Di, a teacher at Shulan No.26 Middle School, volunteered during the disaster relief campaign, distributing relief materials. She continued her contribution by joining the post-disaster disinfection effort at the school and then stayed at the school preparing lessons for the new semester.
"There were many teaching staff who volunteered hard work for the disaster relief during the summer vacation," she said.
(Video reporters: Wei Meng, Li Shuangxi, Ma Xiaocheng, Ren Liying, Zhao Wanwei, Zhang Shuo, Qu Lanjuan, Tian Ce and Yang Shujun; video editors: Hong Yan, Luo Hui, Zheng Xin and Zhang Qiru.)■
