In the disaster-stricken area around Asni, some students have started travelling to the small Moroccan town to attend classes.
Yet, the structure is not a typical one. The 2,800 middle and high school pupils are being housed in traditional tents that have been put up as temporary classrooms.
According to art instructor Khalil Tizoula, “the location comprises 32 huge tents to house the kids, 16 tents for middle school students and another 16 tents for vocational high school students.”
The recent tragic earthquake in Morocco claimed the lives of many of the young kids enrolling in the tent school.
And even though classes haven’t started back up yet, teachers are giving the students the psychological assistance and distraction they sorely need.
“Initially, we listed 242 schools affected by the earthquake, 33 of which were completely destroyed,” says Mohamed Zerrouki, the provincial director of national education.
“The authorities have taken the necessary steps to rebuild them as quickly as possible, while guaranteeing that teaching continues and the return of students and teachers to their classrooms.”
The young people coming to the temporary school in Asni are some of the one million schoolchildren that the United Nations says were impacted by the earthquake.
Teachers say that despite the shared trauma, they hope to help them and make the school year a success.
For some of the students, being back at school surrounded by friends is a relief, even if it is in a tent.
But others say their emotional distress runs too deep and they do not feel ready to resume classes.
Either way, as the school day ends, most of them face a long walk, or if they are lucky a ride, to get back home to their villages.
