Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal's Trishuli Valley, is being lauded for his quick thinking that evacuated over 900 students before a devastating flash flood swept away their school. The floods, triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas, have killed more than 900 people across Nepal and China, with over 4,700 individuals still missing.
Dawadi made the decision to evacuate the school after being alerted to rising floodwaters. He rang the school bell, directing students and staff toward higher ground. "I immediately decided to stop ... school and (get the children out)," he told The Associated Press. As the floodwaters rose, the school building, where Dawadi himself had been educated and taught for years, was submerged by water, mud, boulders, and debris. Two staff members remain missing.
The school had a total of 1,643 students, with at least 900 present on campus the morning of the disaster. Dawadi also instructed bus drivers to only stop at safe locations, averting potential further tragedy. One bus carrying students had just arrived at the school when Dawadi ordered it to turn back; moments later, a bridge it had crossed collapsed.
The destruction of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School is part of a larger crisis affecting education in northern Nepal. Charity group Save the Children reported that at least 69 schools have been completely destroyed, jeopardizing the education of approximately 19,000 students. These disasters threaten to disrupt schooling for months.
Parents have expressed gratitude to Dawadi for saving their children, with one 14-year-old student, Suvina Tamang, crediting him with saving her life. Dawadi, however, views his actions as fulfilling his responsibility and now stresses the need for psychological counseling for the students and the rebuilding of schools to resume classes, even if temporary locations are required. His appeal to the Nepalese government is to prioritize rebuilding schools and returning children to their education.