Teams of teachers rally to support reopening of earthquake-hit Kumamoto schools

Teams of teachers are rallying from across Japan to support the reopening of schools in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was struck by a powerful earthquake last month. The initiative was prompted by the lessons learned from the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake that devastated Hyogo Prefecture.

In the wake of the July 28 earthquake, classes are set to resume in the affected cities of Uki and Yatsushiro in Kumamoto as early as later this month or at the beginning of September. However, some schools have opted to delay the resumption of classes. The teachers have been dispatched at the request of local governments to prepare for the resumption of classes and provide mental health support for local educators.

Support teams have been sent from various prefectures, including Saitama, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Okayama, as well as from within Kumamoto itself. In Uki, where the earthquake registered a level 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, a team from Earth, a Hyogo-based school assistance group for disaster response, has been deployed. This team of 17 members recently helped restore a junior high school in the city’s Shiranui district by cleaning classrooms affected by a water leak from a broken pipe.

Seiji Hattori, a 36-year-old member of the Earth team and an elementary school teacher, has firsthand experience of disasters. He witnessed many exhausted teachers during his support work following the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture in 2024. Hattori expressed his desire to alleviate the burden on teachers so they can focus on their students.

The Earth team, established in 2000, aims to repay the assistance Hyogo received from people across Japan after the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. Comprising experts in disaster prevention and mitigation, the team has supported earthquake-affected schools nationwide, including Kumamoto following powerful earthquakes in 2016. According to the education ministry, such support teams have been set up by 13 prefectures, including Hyogo.

The Earth team also cleaned and tidied up Toyofuku Elementary School in Uki, which is currently checking on students ahead of the resumption of classes on Aug. 31. Some children are staying in evacuation centers or with relatives. Principal Kimihisa Mimaki, 59, expressed the school's limited resources, stating that the support from the team members gives them encouragement.