Students back to school in Türkiye except in 10 quake-hit provinces

By Fatma Sevinc Cetin

ANKARA (AA) – Following two powerful earthquakes on Feb. 6, students on Monday returned to school across Türkiye except in 10 quake-hit provinces.

The first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, which started on Sept. 12, ended on Jan. 20, as a break was planned until Feb. 6, when the second semester was set to start.

However, it was extended after catastrophic tremors struck Türkiye’s southern region.

At Ahmet Andicen Primary School in Ankara, students observed a moment of silence for those who died in the earthquakes and recited the national anthem.

Mina Baba, a student at the school, said she was not happy at all because of the extended semester break, adding she missed her friends and school very much.

Beren Turker, another student who moved to Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, from the southeastern Malatya province due to the earthquake, said she missed her friends in Malatya.

"Our house was not damaged, but we came to Ankara with my mother, father and sibling," she said.

Schools in 10 quake-hit provinces is planned to reopen on March 1, as efforts to provide relief aid and accommodation for quake victims are being carried out and authorities will complete damage assessment studies till then.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the tremors that struck in less than 10 hours.

At least 41,020 people were killed by the twin earthquakes in Türkiye, according to the latest official figures. Thousands of others were injured.

Türkiye issued a level-4 alert, calling in international aid.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan