Students in quake-hit region transfered to Chengdu

Nearly 400 students from a quake-hit region in southwest China's Sichuan Province were moved Tuesday afternoon from their high school to the provincial capital of Chengdu, where they will resume classes on Wednesday.

The students, all from the 12th grade of Lushan Middle School, arrived at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SUFE) before 6 p.m. after a journey of about four hours.

They departed Lushan aboard nine buses sent by the university. In Chengdu, the students will prepare for the forthcoming college entrance exam, scheduled for June 7 and 8.

Lushan Middle School is the only school in Lushan that has a 12th grade. School buildings were damaged during the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Lushan on Saturday morning.

The quake has so far left nearly 200 people dead and more than 12,000 others injured.

Yang Hong, deputy principal of the school, said there are a total of 410 registered 12th graders in the school. The first batch of 390 students was accompanied by 28 teachers from the same school.

Other students who were left behind due to traffic reasons or injuries will be sent to join them later, said the school principal, Yang Yuanming.

Zhang Jing, a student from Taiping Township, said her home was destroyed in the quake, and she felt sad but had to leave.

Feng Weidong, director of the SUFE's mental health and human resources center, said the teachers from the middle school would receive training to better help the students get familiarized with the new environment.

Feng and his team participated in the psychological assistance program five years ago after the Wenchuan earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people in Sichuan.

"What we should do is to create a familiar environment for the students and make them feel at home," he said.

All expenses for board and lodging of the students in Chengdu will be covered by the university, according to sources with the SUFE.