Instead of chimes ringing on Jan. 9, many schools in areas severely damaged by the powerful New Year’s Day earthquake were silent as they postponed the start of the new semester.

One of the schools relatively unaffected by the earthquake, Unoke Junior High School in Kahoku, Ishikawa Prefecture, held its opening assembly through a broadcast on Jan. 9, with students listening from each classroom.

After that, a drill was conducted simulating a major tsunami warning for the Kahoku city coastline, during which students climbed the stairs to the fourth floor of the school building, checking the evacuation route on foot.

A student affected by the disaster at her home in the seaside district, said, “I evacuated to higher ground for about an hour (during the New Year’s Day earthquake and tsunami warning).”

“We never know when an earthquake might occur, so regular drills and preparedness are really important,” she said.

On the other hand, in areas severely affected by the earthquake, there is no clear outlook for the reopening of schools.

In Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, all three elementary and junior high schools sustained damage.

The new semester was supposed to start Jan. 9. But a board of education official expressed uncertainty about reopening schools, particularly Anamizu Elementary School, where the floors and ceilings of the second and third floors collapsed, making it unsafe to enter.

Of the 13 cities and towns in the hard-hit Noto Peninsula, north of Kanazawa city--one in Toyama Prefecture and 12 in Ishikawa Prefecture--nine municipalities postponed the scheduled Jan. 9 start of the new semester.

Many of the schools don’t even know when they will be able to reopen. Only schools in four municipalities currently have reopening plans.

The Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education announced on Jan. 9 that it is coordinating a mass evacuation of junior high school students in response to a request from Wajima city.

The officials said that around 400 students are enrolled in three junior high schools in the city and that the board will ask parents whether their children want to relocate to other schools.

Arrangements are being made for schools to accept these evacuees.

Delays in the start of the new semester were also seen in senior high schools.

Wajima Senior High School, located near Asaichi-dori Street (the Wajima morning market) where a large fire broke out, has decided to close for the time being.

Although the flames did not reach the school, one of its buildings is tilted, making it unusable.

Nanao High School also postponed starting the school term on Jan. 9, but opened its classrooms that day to senior students for self-study in preparation for university entrance exams.

Nearly all of the approximately 190 seniors plan to take a unified university entrance exam on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14 in Kanazawa.

“Some students lost all their study materials and exam slips because their houses were completely destroyed," said Principal Tetsuya Higami. "Some families find it difficult to come to the school to pick up academic records to be sent to universities.”

STUDENTS ANXIOUS ABOUT ENTRANCE EXAMS

“Everyone is gone, and I feel so lonely,” said Kokone Shokaku, a third-year junior high school student who is taking shelter at a community center in Wajima.

She expressed her struggles with life in the evacuation center, finding it difficult to focus on her studies.

On Jan. 1, when the earthquake occurred, about 10 children were evacuated and Kokone played board games with them.

However, many of them moved to Kanazawa and other cities, leaving only four, including her 11-year-old sister, Nene.

The first day of school, scheduled for Jan. 9, was postponed.

“I really want to see everyone again,” Kokone said.

A 39-year-old mother, who is supporting shelter operations at a community center, sent her two sons--one in junior high school and the other in elementary school--to stay with relatives in Tsubata town, which is next to Kanazawa city.

“If they stayed here, they would not be able to eat enough food,” she said.

The school in Tsubata accepted her sons even though they didn’t have school uniforms and textbooks for them.

“I don’t want to leave my hometown, but it’s unclear when schools in Wajima will return to normal,” the mother said.

A third-year high school girl, who evacuated with her family of seven to the gymnasium of Wajima Senior High School, said, “Even if I solve the questions, I can’t find the answer books. So, I can’t concentrate on my studies.”

With university entrance exams approaching, the prolonged evacuation life has made her so tired that she often ends up sleeping wrapped in a blanket in the afternoon.

She added that the shelter, filled with many strangers, makes it difficult to focus on studying.

Sota Yamamoto, a senior at the high school, is also preparing for entrance exams. His family’s home in Wajima was tilted, and his family members have been sleeping in their car along with their dog.

Yamamoto said, “The scale of the damage was huge, so I’m struggling to keep up both physically and mentally.”

He said he has been unable to motivate himself to continue with his studies, saying, “Honestly, I have given up. I am thinking of selecting a different school for my entrance exam.”

Young children are also under stress.

Ayako Suzuki, who evacuated with her two children aged 6 and 3 to Wajima Junior High School, expressed concern about the ongoing lack of water and the difficulties in maintaining their hygiene.

“It’s hard for the children to keep wearing masks all the time,” she said.

She added that her children love physical activities but are hesitant to play freely at the evacuation center: “I think some people might be bothered by the noise.”

(This article was written by Masayuki Takashima, Hajime Ueno, Asako Miyasaka, Noriki Nishioka and Keitaro Nishizaki.)