Teacher Teams Rally to Reopen Quake-Hit Kumamoto Schools

Uki, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)–Teams of teachers mobilized from across Japan are supporting schools in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto, which was hit by a powerful earthquake last month, before they reopen after the summer break. Drawing on their past experiences in disaster-stricken areas, team members are helping schools in Kumamoto return to normal. Following the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake that mainly struck Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, such an initiative was initially launched in the prefecture. In areas hit by the July 28 earthquake, such as the cities of Uki and Yatsushiro in Kumamoto, classes are expected to restart later this month or at the beginning of September. Some schools, however, plan to delay the start. Team members visit areas affected by the earthquake at the request of local governments to prepare for the resumption of classes and provide mental health support for local teachers. According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, support teams have been dispatched from Saitama, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Okayama prefectures, as well as from within Kumamoto. In Uki, where the July 28 quake registered 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, 17 members of Earth, a Hyogo-based school assistance team for disaster response, are providing assistance. On Tuesday, five members helped prepare for the resumption of classes on Aug. 31 at a junior high school in the city’s Shiranui district by cleaning classrooms that were affected by a water leak from a broken pipe. Seiji Hattori, 36, a member of the team and an elementary school teacher, experienced the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake when he was four. Hattori said that he saw many exhausted teachers while providing support in an area affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan. “I want to ease the burden on teachers so that they can devote their energy to children,” he said. Earth was formed in 2000 with the aim of repaying the help Hyogo received from people across Japan after the Hanshin-Awaji quake. Members, who have expertise in disaster prevention and mitigation, have supported quake-hit schools nationwide, including in Kumamoto following powerful earthquakes in 2016. According to the education ministry, such support teams have been set up by 13 prefectures including Hyogo. Earth members also cleaned and tidied up Toyofuku Elementary School in Uki. The school is checking on students ahead of the restart of classes on Aug. 31, as some children are staying in evacuation centers or the homes of relatives. “The school is short of hands as it is,” the school’s principal, Kimihisa Mimaki, 59, said. “Teachers (in the support team) understand how things work in schools, so (their help) gives (us) encouragement.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]