Nepal Teacher’s Quick Action Saves 900 Pupils Minutes Before Deadly Flood
A head teacher in Nepal has been commended for saving approximately 900 children after he acted on several warnings and evacuated the school 10 minutes before it was hit by devastating floods.
At approximately 09:10 local time, four warnings were issued to Rajendra Dawadi, head teacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, that a major flood was coming. He did not wait for further confirmation, but immediately ordered pupils and teachers to leave the school and move to higher ground.
He also ordered buses to turn around and evacuate the area, rather than risk the loss of a day’s instruction.
Later Dawadi told the BBC that the evacuation could have been delayed by just 10 minutes and lives would have been lost. The school building was then covered by mud and debris when the flood water flooded the area.
The evacuation is a reminder of the importance of teachers in safeguarding children during emergencies. Dawadi’s decision demonstrated the promptness with which school personnel may have to respond when children are in immediate danger.
Yunisha Amatya, a 16-year-old pupil, said she and friends had to run through a small gap at the back of the school and climb up to safety. They were only seconds away from drowning when the floodwaters engulfed the area, she said.
Later, many pupils and teachers were stranded for two nights due to roads being blocked and transport disrupted.
Yunisha was later reunited with her family, but the tragedy has left her unsure about her future in school after the school was destroyed.
Dawadi has urged for better early-warning systems, such as sirens and evacuation alerts, to enable schools and communities to respond more quickly in the event of future disasters.
His actions are a great reminder that child protection in emergencies can start with one timely decision.
