Thirty-eight schools in Pingtung County have sustained damages totaling more than 17.6 million TWD following recent heavy rainfall, according to the Pingtung County Education Department. While several campuses experienced significant flooding, officials stated that cleaning and disinfection efforts are underway to ensure that classes and final exams proceed as scheduled on Monday, June 29.
What specific damages were reported by the Education Department?
The Pingtung County Education Department reported that the damage includes 23 schools experiencing flooding, six schools with leaking buildings, and eight schools with equipment failure. Other reported issues include three schools with tilting walls, four with foundation erosion, three with roof damage, and four with fallen trees.
In Wandan Township, Xing Hua Elementary School faced large-scale flooding that began between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. on June 26 and lasted until 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. Outdoor water levels reached approximately 50cm, and while the school had installed waterproof flood gates, indoor water levels still reached 36cm.
Other notable damage includes Xinyuan Junior High, where water levels reached 15 to 30cm in teaching areas and 40 to 50cm on the playground. In Sandimen Township, Kou She Elementary reported that a retaining wall near the playground suffered severe deformation and cracking due to the heavy rain.
Why is the Pingtung Education Industry Union calling for emergency aid?
The Pingtung County Education Industry Union has warned that recovery efforts should not be the sole responsibility of frontline teachers and administrative staff. The union noted that teachers are currently managing instructional duties alongside campus cleanup, equipment inventory, curriculum adjustments, and student care.
According to the union, a lack of sufficient manpower and funding could increase the burden on grassroots educators and potentially impact students’ right to education. The group is urging the Ministry of Education and the Executive Yuan to launch a campus recovery project to assist local governments with damage assessment and the rapid allocation of repair funds.
The union also recommended that administrative procedures be simplified during this period. This would aim to prevent teachers from being overwhelmed by non-teaching administrative tasks while they focus on disaster recovery.
How will schools manage the recovery process?
Schools are utilizing the weekend to conduct environmental cleanup, cleaning, and disinfection. The Education Department expects that these efforts will allow students to return to normal school activities and complete their final exams on Monday, June 29, without interruption.
The high-damage reports specifically identified Kou She Elementary in Sandimen, De Xie Elementary in Changzhi, and Jia Lu Elementary in Fangshan as schools with significant costs. These schools reported issues such as the failure of building waterproofing layers and damaged drainage pipes leading to leaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools were affected by the heavy rain in Pingtung?
A total of 38 schools were reported as damaged by the Pingtung County Education Department.
What is the estimated cost of the damage to these schools?
The estimated damage amount is over 17.6 million TWD.
Will the scheduled final exams be delayed?
No, officials expect that classes and final exams will not be affected and will proceed on Monday, June 29.
Will the government’s response be sufficient to prevent the recovery workload from falling entirely on teachers?
