School resumes in Tainan after damaging January earthquake

School resumes in Tainan after damaging January earthquake

2025-02-05

Children in Tainan headed back to school on Wednesday for the first time after the Lunar New Year break. But for many students, the return to class was quite different this year. An earthquake on Jan. 21 dealt heavy damage to many schools in the southern city, meaning special arrangements have had to be made to keep classes running.

Class is back on at Nansi Elementary School, where students are greeted by not one, but two principals at the gate.

The nearby Nansi Junior High School suffered great damage during a strong earthquake on Jan. 21. The tremor left cracks on the walls, deformed doors and windows, and exposed the steel rods inside reinforced concrete beams. In the assembly hall, the panels of the drop ceiling came crashing down too. The damage was so severe that several areas of the school were cordoned off, leaving students with nowhere to attend class.

Cheng Chun-chieh
Nansi Junior High School principal
Taking into account our future projects, the quality of education and the safety of our faculty and students, we relocated 105 students and 22 teachers here from our campus.

Many of the students at Nansi Junior High graduated from Nansi Elementary, so it wasn’t too troublesome for parents dropping their kids at school. But they still hope that the students will soon return to having their own schools.

Student
Nanxi Junior High School
It feels pretty much the same. It’s just a different place.

Parent
It’s not too troublesome, but I feel that the kids might need some time to adjust.

Lee Yao-chuan
Nansi Elementary School principal
We have provided a separate area for the Nansi Junior High School students. After all, the pace of things at middle schools and elementary schools is quite different. So this way the students won’t disturb each other.

On the first day back, students were given a refresher course on earthquake preparedness and response.

After last month’s earthquake, 181 schools in Tainan requested a combined total of NT$390 million in subsidies to repair damages. The city launched an emergency repair operation and sought funding from other sources to help schools resume normal operations as soon as possible.

Yang Chih-hsiung
Tainan Bureau of Education
We will provide special assistance to students in terms of material needs such as school supplies or uniforms and also psychological needs. We will provide counseling so they can learn ways to manage their emotions. That’s very important.

Another school that suffered heavy damage was Dongshan Junior High School. The city government has launched a different kind of response plan here, with students still coming in to school at the original campus, but taking classes only in areas deemed safe.

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台南高中.國中小今提前開學楠西國中震後移地上課

2025-02-05

今年全中運4月將在台南登場，各校屆時將放假四天，也因此台南的高中.國中小，提早在今天2月5號開學。不過由於1月21號嘉義大埔的強震，造成部分學校受損嚴重，梁柱鋼筋外露，楠西國中的師生們，開學日只好轉往楠西國小上課。

開學日一大早，楠西國小的校門口，卻有兩位校長迎接學生。

楠西國中因為0121的地震影響，校舍的外牆都已經裂開好幾個大縫，窗戶、門框變形，梁柱裡的鋼筋也都外露，禮堂輕鋼架屋頂也全都掉了下來，校舍毀損嚴重，外頭都拉上警戒線，已經無法讓學生們上課。

[[楠西國中校長鄭俊杰]]
“為了兼顧未來的工程，我們的教學品質，以及師生在我們原校區的安全，有105位學生安置在這邊，22位老師、教職員”

許多楠西國中的學生，也都是國小的校友，家長們接送問題不大，不過還是希望能讓國中、國小學生，有各自的校園學習。

[[楠西國中學生]]
“感覺沒什麼差，就換個地方而已”

[[學生家長]]
“麻煩是還好，可能是孩子那個，要適應一段時間吧”

[[楠西國小校長李耀全]]
“我們希望給楠西國中，一個獨立的空間，那因為畢竟國中國小的，生活步調會不太一樣，讓我們彼此的孩子，不會受到互相的干擾”

而新學期的第一天，也因應震災後的情況，先進行防災演練的課程。

台南市在地震後，共有181所學校，提報災後復原補助需求，總經費約3.9億，市府採取緊急修繕，和經費爭取並行，協助學校盡快恢復校務運作。

[[台南市教育局副局長楊智雄]]
“學生的就學上的需求，比如說學用品或者制服，我們都會專案來作些協助。第二部分是有關心理上的需求，透過我們安心輔導，心情怎麼穩定，這個都非常的重要”

另外，同樣受損嚴重的東山國中，市府應變方案，東山國中學生安置在校內其他安全場域，學校同時啟動相關輔導。

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As a long-term defender of children’s rights, I urge everyone to support the children of Tibet so that they can grow up and thrive.

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There’s a nail salon in Kaohsiung that recently drew attention for sharing nail art promoting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO. The manicurist’s daughter, Huang En-ching, is a youth ambassador for the Taiwan-UN Alliance. Last May she went to Switzerland to show her support, followed by a trip to New York in September. Before leaving, she and her mother came up with a nail design portraying elements of Taiwan. It’s not only an expression of her mother’s love, but it has also come to define her after their appearance in an interview on YouTube.

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Huang En-ching
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I use my nails to promote Taiwan. I introduce some of the things we have here, like Taipei 101 for example. Then I also did Taiwanese food, and painted bubble tea and dumplings.

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I encourage my daughter to participate in things that help Taiwan and help the world to understand Taiwan. People abroad who see her nails may stop and say, “Wow, what is this?” And through that you can start a discussion. It’s a way to more naturally and directly introduce Taiwan.

The mother uses her skill as a manicurist to help her daughter find a unique way to support Taiwan. Huang’s belief in backing Taiwan and her mother’s love shine brightly under the foreign sun.

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