Beijing will finish reinforcing and rebuilding its 3,000 schools and kindergartens against major earthquakes in three years, the government's construction commission said yesterday.
Experts said the multi-billion yuan project is the largest revamp of schools in Beijing in recent years. It is also part of a national campaign to strengthen the majority of China's schools following last year's Sichuan earthquake.
The central government said at least 5,335 students were dead or reported missing after 11,687 schools collapsed during the 8.0-scale earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12 last year.
Beijing is considered a possible earthquake danger zone because it sits between two major earthquake zones. The last earthquake in Beijing was a 3.9-magnitude tremor from the massive Sichuan earthquake.
The commission hopes to finish 60 percent of the work before 2010 by using an unspecified amount of government funding. After the improvements, all schools in Beijing should be able to endure earthquakes of up to 7.5-magnitude on the Richter scale.
However, nearly 300 middle schools, primary schools and kindergartens in Beijing do not reach the required safety standard for earthquakes, according to a Nov 6 report by a housing quality inspection group from the city's commission for housing and urban-rural development.
Most of these schools are listed as "needing reinforcement work", while 15 others are required to be rebuilt, the report said.
But architectural experts said yesterday the list does not imply the schools are unsafe.
"The buildings set to be torn down do not pose an immediate danger to students," said Zhang Ran, deputy director of the Beijing Building Construction Research Institute. "But the buildings must be rebuilt in order to survive strong quakes and be used as possible shelters."
Zhang pointed out that there are buildings constructed within the last ten years on the list.
The municipal government released updated guidelines for construction firms when rebuilding and consolidating school buildings, following a discussion held last week with a panel of architects. All teaching rooms, laboratories, dormitories and canteens are required to meet the criteria.
"The government sees the project almost like a political mission. Following the Sichuan earthquake, no official is safe when something goes wrong with a school building," Zhang said.
Recent reports said Haidian district has put aside 600 million yuan for school revamps, with Xicheng district following at 590 million yuan.
Beijing's commission for education said in September that this year's funds normally allocated to providing free study books have been redirected to the school earthquake project.
