Empty Seats, Missing Names: Nepal Teachers Grieve Flood Victims

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Rasuwa: Teachers in Nepal's flood-ravaged Rasuwa region face a terrible daily reminder of the devastating August 26 floods, with names of children who never returned to school after being swept away by the calamity.

The disaster has left severe scars at Neelakantha Secondary School, which survived greatly undamaged due to its elevation. During the floodwaters, the school lost 70 students and four staff. Many of the missing kids were on their way to class from riverfront communities when severe floodwaters swept over the valley.

Every morning, teachers take attendance and write the names of absent students in red. The exercise has become a heartbreaking ritual, as staff and students continue to search for information about individuals who have vanished.

The disaster had a far-reaching influence on education throughout the region. According to government data quoted by soiurces, over 500 students and 24 teachers are still missing in Rasuwa and surrounding districts, with 18 schools damaged. The estimated cost of rehabilitating the affected educational infrastructure is $15.47 million.

The floods have also hampered the schooling of thousands of students who survived. According to a UNICEF assessment, more than 14,000 children's education has been disrupted at 62 schools and learning centers in the impacted region.

Thousands of people have gone missing as a result of the bigger crisis in Nepal. A month after the floods, police were still looking for missing people and trying to identify discovered bodies using DNA testing.

For Rasuwa teachers, however, recovery means more than just rebuilding classrooms and courses. It also requires returning to classrooms with vacant seats and names in red that serve as memories of children who departed for school but never returned home.