Schools reopen in quake-hit areas of Nepal

A Nepalese man walks through a path cleared with rubbles of damaged houses one month after the deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal Monday, May 25, 2015. Two powerful earthquakes devastated Nepal on April 25 and May 12, killing nearly 8,700 people and injuring 16,800 others. AP

Thousands of schools across the districts worst hit by two earthquakes in Nepal have reopened.

With most buildings damaged or unsafe, classes are being held in temporary classrooms that were ordered by the Education Ministry.

In the worst-hit districts of Gorkha, Sindhupalchok and Nuwakot, it is estimated that more than 90 percent of schools were destroyed.

The two earthquakes on April 25 and May 12 killed 8,693 people and injured 22,221 others.

Almost 24,000 classrooms were damaged or destroyed.

According to Unicef, Nepal’s high dropout rate was already a major concern. Around 1.2 million children between the ages 5 and 16 have either never attended school or have dropped out.