By Madhusudan Timilsina, Kavre, Aug. 29: Seven and a half billion rupees have been spent on the reconstruction of schools destroyed by the Gorkha earthquake in the Kavrepalanchok district.

The government of Nepal, loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank, Government of India, Education Development Coordination Unit and various NGOs have spent Rs 7.66 billion on the reconstruction.

The District Project Implementation Unit (Education) had started the reconstruction of schools from the fiscal year 2016/2017.

According to the office, school buildings have been constructed through the school management committees, construction businessmen and organisations.

Chief of the District Project Implementation Unit (Education) Dev Kumar Baral said that the Government of Nepal had provided Rs. 1.35 billion through the District Project Implementation Unit (Education), Rs. 175 million through the Education Development Coordination Unit of which Rs 2.70 billion has been spent for 28 schools constructed by the Government of Nepal through the emergency project with the loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Similarly, under the government's Disaster Management Project, ADB has provided Rs. 1.51 billion in loan assistance (in three phases), Rs. 60.7 million through the Government of India, Rs. 1.23 billion through NGOs and Rs. 73.7 million has been spent on school retrofitting through the Disaster Management Project.

The District Project Implementation Unit (Education) has informed that 449 buildings of 351 schools have been reconstructed in Kavre. Among them, 229 buildings of 188 schools have been completed through the school management committee. At least 41 buildings from 24 schools are still under construction.

According to the unit, 82 buildings of 28 schools constructed by the Government of Nepal through the emergency project with the loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have been completed and handed over.

Similarly, 13 buildings of 10 schools constructed in the first phase with ADB loans have been completed under the government's Disaster Management Project. Similarly, 13 buildings of nine schools in the second phase are in the final stage of reconstruction. Seven buildings of three schools in the third phase of the same project have already been tendered.

The construction of 18 buildings of 12 schools started by the Government of India is going on. Apart from the two schools, 10 others have reached the final stage of construction, the unit said.

Of the 98 school buildings to be reconstructed through NGOs and INGOs, 92 school buildings have been completed and six are yet to be constructed.

Out of 59 school buildings, 33 have been completed and 26 are under construction through the Education Development Coordination Unit.