Typhoon Yagi and subsequent heavy rain, floods, and landslides have claimed the lives of 52 students, children, and three teachers as of Saturday last week, according to a Ministry of Education and Training report released on Monday.
Eight students sustained injuries in the wake of Yagi, which made landfall in northern Vietnam on September 7, while one teacher and three students remain unaccounted for.
Among them, the deceased students and children were residents of Cao Bang (6), Lao Cai (35), Yen Bai (9), and Thai Nguyen (2), all in northern Vietnam.
The eight injured students are from Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, and Lao Cai Provinces.
Two kindergarten students and a fifth grader remain missing after landslides in Lao Cai, while the deceased and missing teachers are from Cao Bang and Yen Bai.
The Ministry of Education and Training also reported significant damage to educational infrastructure, with numerous schools in northeastern Vietnam submerged.
Classrooms were destroyed and learning materials were swept away by floodwaters as a result of the typhoon.
The affected localities have been urged by the ministry to assess and report the extent of the damage to relevant authorities to request financial aid for recovery efforts.
According to the latest figures from the ministry, nearly 20,000 students in Yen Bai lost or had their textbooks ruined, with replacement costs estimated at over VND9 billion ($363,900).
Despite cleanup efforts to resume classes this week, 99 schools across six provinces, including Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Tuyen Quang, remain unable to reopen as floodwaters have yet to recede.
On September 11, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam Education Union launched a fundraising campaign to assist those affected by the typhoon, raising over VND8 billion ($323,300) in cash and VND3.5 billion ($141,400) in supplies.
Following a meeting with the ministry on September 13, UNICEF Vietnam and international organizations such as Save the Children, Plan International, and ActionAid pledged at least $4.05 million to provide food, water, textbooks, and school supplies for affected students.
Local publishers have also stepped in, donating 2,000 sets of textbooks and committing to print an additional 10 million copies to support students in flood-hit areas.
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